The recent military intervention that put an end to the Bongo family’s 56-year hold on power in Gabon has been many years in the making.
Its roots can be traced back to when deposed president Ali Bongo Ondimba suffered a stroke in 2018.
The political crisis caused by Bongo’s illness and the opaque manner in which he continued to hold the reins of power through close family members during his convalescence created tensions within the power circles.
