Following the recent coup, the African Union's Peace and Security Council announced on Friday that Gabon has been suspended from all AU operations. The AU said that it has made the decision to "immediately suspend the Republic of Gabon's participation in all activities of the AU, its Organs and institutions until the restoration of constitutional order in the country."

Senior military officials in Gabon declared on Wednesday that they had seized power as a result of the illegitimate elections that took place in the Central African nation on Saturday. General Brice Nguema, commander of Gabon's elite Republican Guard, was chosen transition leader a short while thereafter and was in charge of the president's security. The African Union denounced the takeover and commanded the military to "unconditionally return power to the civilian authority, uphold their constitutional mandate, the principle of constitutionalism, and refrain from any interference in the political processes in Gabon." The military was also ordered to immediately return to its barracks.

The Council warned that failure to comply would result in required actions, including the implementation of specific sanctions against the coup's organizers. The UN, Nigeria, and France are just a few of the foreign leaders that have denounced the coup. The AU Council also called for the release of deposed president Ali Bongo, his family, and other government officials who have been detained since Wednesday's coup.

Since the coup, Mr. Bongo has been under house arrest. In a video, he is seen pleading with his pals to "make noise" for him.  The AU further stressed the need to ensure that all political detainees are dealt with by the legal system in accordance with the law of the nation. It also denounced "any politically motivated arrests in the circumstances."

The reign of Mr. Bongo's family in the highest office in Gabon came to an end with the overthrow of his administration. His father, Omar Bongo, served as president from 1967 to 2009, and after his death, Ali Bongo took over. After serving two terms, he was prepared to begin a third term following Saturday's election, which was largely seen as being invalid.

The AU Security Council requested that the chairperson of the Commission continue to closely monitor how the situation is developing, including by creating a monitoring mechanism that includes the AU, ECCAS, and other pertinent stakeholders, and to report back to the Council within 15 days of the adoption of this communique.   A month had passed since a coup of a similar nature had taken place in Niger. Additionally, the AU denounced the coup in Niger and expelled the West African nation from all of its initiatives.