Gabon coup leaders name new transitional president

Leaders of the coup in Gabon have named a general transitional president after seizing power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has ruled for 55 years, had been declared winner. The claimed takeover sparked condemnation from the African Union (AU) and alarm from Nigeria over “contagious autocracy” in a continent where military forces have seized power in five other countries since 2020. Mr Bongo, 64, who took over from his father Omar in 2009, was placed under house arrest and one of his sons arrested for treason, the coup leaders said. In a pre-dawn address,…