French oil giant TotalEnergies says its main priority is to ensure the safety of its employees and operations in Gabon.
It came after soldiers there announced they had seized power, shortly after the electoral body declared President Ali Bongo to have been re-elected for a third term.
TotalEnergies has 350 employees in the oil-rich country. It also said it was Gabon’s main petrol distributor with 45 petrol stations there.
France – the former colonial power in Gabon – is following events “with the greatest attention”, says Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
If the overthrow of President Ali Bongo is confirmed, Gabon would be the latest French-speaking nation in West African nation to experience a coup – following Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and most recently Niger.
French influence in the region has been undermined by the recent unrest, the AFP news agency reports.
BBC
