The African Union Wednesday said it has lifted a ban on Gabon’s membership following significant progress in the country’s political transition which culminated in elections.
The AU’s decision will allow Gabon to fully resume its participation in the union’s activities.
Gabon was suspended from the AU on 31 August 2023 after General Brice Oligui Nguema took power in a coup, overthrowing President Ali Bongo.
The suspension was part of the AU’s standard response to unconstitutional changes of government.
Gabon’s reinstatement came after the council in its 127th meeting reviewed the country’s political transition and processes which were found to be “generally successful”, Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council said in a briefing.
Otengo said as a result, the AU has lifted all sanctions and welcomed Gabon back to full participation in the organisation’s activities.
Otendo said Gabon had demonstrated meaningful steps toward restoring constitutional order, including holding national elections on 12 April 2025 which Brice Oligui Nguema won.
“Today marks an important turning point for Gabon, a day of hope for the Gabonese people,” Michel Regis Onanga Ndiaye, Gabon’s minister of foreign affairs said during the briefing.
According to him, the bond between Gabon and the AU has never truly been broken.
The foreign minister said the temporary suspension of Gabon from the ‘AU family was a consequence of the liberation coup of August 30, 2023, and the strong need to deeply reform the central African country’.
MG/as/APA