The White House announced on Wednesday that the United States is closely monitoring the situation in Gabon in the wake of a military coup, the most recent in a string of illegitimate power grabs in Africa.
“It’s deeply concerning. We were going to watch this closely, and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to support the idea of democratic ideals that are expressed by the African people,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
“It’s too soon to call this a trend,” Kirby said of the several coups in the past year.
However, he said, “It’s obviously deeply concerning here, yet another country where military officers have taken these dangerous and reckless steps, and attempted takeovers of democratically elected governments.
More details shortly….
