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☆ Remembering Namibia’s record-breaking 142-0 Rugby World Cup defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Namibia has always been an underdog at the Rugby World Cup. Facing host Australia in Adelaide, Namibia was beaten 142-0, the largest winning margin in Rugby World Cup history. “But what an occasion just to be at a World Cup, no matter what the score was. David Davies/PA Images/Getty Images‘What chance did we have?’Expectations were realistic amongst the Namibian squad heading into the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty ImagesIn the end, the margin of the defeat of 142 points was a record for a Rugby World Cup match.

Persons: Eben Izaacs, England –, Chris Latham, Tuqiri, Matt Giteau, Mat Rogers, ” Izaacs, David Davies, Jurgens van Lill –, –, “, ”, team –, Webb Ellis, ” van Lill, Latham, Stirling Mortlock, Rogers, van Lill, Izaacs, Mat Rogers –, Christophe Simon, – Izaacs, Nathan Sharpe, Kees, hasn’t, Deon Mouton, Cliff Loubser, Gerswin, we’ve, Allister Coetzee, ” Van Lill’s Organizations: CNN, Rugby, CNN Sport, Australia –, England, Namibia, Adelaide Oval, Namibian, Australia, rugby, team, Argentina, Getty, Springboks Locations: Namibia, Qatar, Botswana, Gabon, South Africa, Australia, Adelaide, Argentina, Ireland, AFP, France, Italy, New Zealand, America, England, Uruguay

☆ Gabon coup: US suspends aid program
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —The United States is holding back assistance that might aid the government of Gabon following last month’s coup, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement released by the US State Department on Tuesday. The move is in line with steps taken by Economic Community of Central African States, the African Union, and other international partners. Army officers in Gabon seized power on Aug. 30, annulling an election minutes after an announcement that President Ali Bongo had won, which they said was not credible. A 24-month transition to elections in Gabon would be “reasonable” after last month’s coup, junta-appointed Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima was quoted as saying by French news agency AFP earlier this month. The African Union suspended Gabon’s membership following the coup.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, annulling, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Raymond Ndong Sima Organizations: Reuters, US State Department, Economic Community, Central, African Union, Army, AFP Locations: United States, Gabon, Central African States, Central

"The public in West African countries has become increasingly wary of hosting a Western military presence," said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at London-based risk firm Verisk Maplecroft. "The French exit from Niger will push Western troops further away from the central Sahel." The U.S. has refused to call the Niger takeover a coup, meaning it can avoid severing ties for now. Unlike France, American forces do not actively engage with Niger forces against Islamist militants and could be open to working within a transition to civilian rule. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the French military base in the capital calling for the troops' departure.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk, Emmanuel Macron, Russia's, Washington's, Defence Lloyd Austin, Washington, Nathaniel Powell, Joe Biden, Macron, Aissami Tchiroma, It's, Oxford Analytica, Paris, Jalel Harchaoui, John Irish, Edward McAllister, Abdel, Kader Mazou, Andrew Gray, George Obulutsa, Andrew Heavens Organizations: French Army, REUTERS, London, Russia's Wagner, Defence, Oxford, Protesters, France, Military, Royal United Services Institute, Thomson Locations: France, Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger PARIS, DAKAR, West Africa, West, Russia, United States, Libya, The U.S, Nairobi, American, West African, Afghanistan, AFRICA, French, Africa, It's, CHAD, GUINEA France, Chad, Paris, Sahel, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gabon, London, Brussels

☆ Counting the cost of contagion fears from Africa coups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Gabon coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema is sworn in as interim president during his swearing-in ceremony, in Libreville, Gabon, September 4, 2023. The putsch not only sent Gabon's bonds tumbling 10%, but also hit those issued by a number of other countries including neighbouring Cameroon, as jittery investors scanned for who might be next. The apparent coup trend is adding to other major concerns deterring many investors from Africa - a wave of debt crises, tense geopolitics and an extreme vulnerability to climate change. "Nearly all markets in that region are paying some price in terms of rising cost of debt," said Sergey Dergachev, portfolio manager at Union Investment. There have been scores of coups and attempted coups in recent decades including in Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt and Turkey.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Stringer, Sergey Dergachev, Paul Biya, Macky Sall, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Eamon Aghdasi, Fitch, Moody's, Thailand's, Ravi Bhatia, Bongo, Simon Quijano, Evans, Libby George, Marc Jones, Karin Strohecker, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, UNDP, Union Investment, Investors, Reuters, General Assembly, Burkina, P Global, Reuters Graphics, Monetary Fund, Central, CFA, Peace, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, Africa Mali, Guinea, Africa, Cameroon, Mali, Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt, Turkey, crackdowns, Senegal, Congo Republic, New York, Niger, Burkina Faso, Kenya

☆ Guinea junta leader denounces Western democracy amid wave of coups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Guinea's President Mamadi Doumbouya addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsDAKAR, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Guinea's military leader Mamady Doumbouya told the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that the Western model of democracy does not work for Africa, as evidenced by a recent wave of coups. Doumbouya took power in a coup in 2021, which was one of eight in West and Central Africa in the last three years. The coups have been strongly condemned by the United Nations and Western powers such as the U.S. and France, which have urged democracy to be restored as soon as possible. Doumbouya took power by overthrowing Alpha Conde, Guinea's then 84-year-old president who had changed the constitution to run for a third term, sparking widespread protests.

Persons: Mamadi Doumbouya, Brendan McDermid, Mamady Doumbouya, Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Guinea's, Bate Felix, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, General, United Nations, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Africa, West, Central Africa, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, France, New York, Russia

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 30 Atlantic countries on four continents committed Monday to bolster coordination on economic development, environmental protection, maritime issues and more, the White House said. The adoption of the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation was completed Monday evening at a meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the start of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting. The White House pitched the forum as a way to improve cooperation between northern and southern Atlantic countries on key issues and come to agreement on a set of principles for the Atlantic region. The activists are pushing world leaders to act with greater haste to curb climate change. Many of the leaders of countries that cause the most heat-trapping carbon pollution will not be in attendance for this year's General Assembly.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, ”, Biden, Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres Organizations: Atlantic Cooperation, U.S, Atlantic, Partnership, White, Bank, General Assembly, U.N Locations: Atlantic, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Dominican Republic , Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Spain, Togo, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, New York

☆ Coups Are on the Rise. Why?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Following the news lately is enough to make one wonder if coups might be contagious. The recent surge is particularly surprising because coups, particularly successful ones, had been relatively rare in the decades following the end of the Cold War. “If you told me a decade ago that would be happening today, I would not have thought that that was a reasonable expectation,” said Erica De Bruin, a Hamilton College political scientist who wrote a book in 2020 about coup prevention. Coups are not actually “contagious” in the sense that one directly causes another, experts say. “We are seeing more coups not because of a contagion, but because of a more permissive environment,” said Naunihal Singh, a political scientist at the U.S.

Persons: ”, Erica De Bruin, Naunihal Singh Organizations: Hamilton College, U.S . Naval, College Locations: Gabon, Niger

☆ Gabon Junta Eyes 24-Month Transition to Elections - AFP Cites Interim PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - A 24-month transition to elections in Gabon would be "reasonable" after last month's coup, junta-appointed Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima was quoted as saying by French news agency AFP on Sunday. Army officers seized power on Aug. 30, annulling an election minutes after an announcement that President Ali Bongo had won, which they said was not credible. Bongo, in power since 2009, had succeeded his father Omar Bongo, who ruled for 42 years. The junta has promised to oversee free and fair elections, but has not given a timetable for organising them. In the first comments on a possible length of this transition, Ndong Sima told AFP: "It is good to start with a reasonable goal by saying: 'We hope to see the process completed within 24 months so that we can return to elections.'"

Persons: Raymond Ndong Sima, annulling, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Omar Bongo, Ndong Sima, Nilutpal, Alessandra Prentice, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, AFP, Sunday . Army Locations: Gabon, Bengaluru

☆ DR Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualify for Cup of Nations finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals with wins on Saturday, but the games were overshadowed by the earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 1,000 people. The Gambia and Congo teams had to evacuate their hotel rooms when the quake hit on Friday and spent the night sleeping next to their respective hotel swimming pools. Mozambique booked their place earlier on Saturday with a last-gasp 3-2 home win over Benin in Maputo. On top of hosts Ivory Coast and Saturday's successful trio, the other finalists are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pierre, Emerick, Jean Noel Amonome, Theo Bongonda, Saturday's, Mark Gleeson, Ken Ferris Organizations: Democratic, Africa, Nations, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Confederation of African Football, DR, Belgium, Congolese, Clesio, Ivory Coast, Thomson Locations: CAPE, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Mozambique, Morocco, Liberia, Gambia, Congo, Marrakech, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Sudan, Gabon, Kinshasa, Mayele, Benin, Maputo, Senegal, Burundi, Cameroon, Namibia, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, Cape Town

☆ Gabon Military Says Deposed President Is ‘Free’ to Travel Overseas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | More About Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was deposed as president of Gabon last week in a coup that ended his family’s decades-long grip on power in the central African nation, is no longer subject to house arrest and is free to leave the country, the ruling military junta has said. Mr. Bongo’s health has long been a concern after he suffered a stroke five years ago and was often seen walking with a cane. The military said in a statement read on national television on Wednesday night that he would be allowed to travel overseas for medical care. The announcement from the military came two days after the leader of the coup, Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, a cousin of the ousted leader and the head of the elite Republican Guard that was tasked with guarding him, was sworn in as Gabon’s new leader. After taking oath on Monday, General Nguema promised to hold free and fair elections but did not indicate when or how they would take place.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba, Brice Oligui Nguema, General Nguema Organizations: Republican Guard Locations: Gabon

CNN —The military leaders who staged a coup in Gabon have freed ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba and he is now allowed to travel abroad, a junta spokesperson said Wednesday. Bongo has reportedly been held in house arrest since the coup in the Central African nation in late August. “Given his state of health, the former President of the Republic Ali Bongo Ondimba is free to move about. It’s not immediately clear if Bongo will leave Gabon following his release by the junta. If the ousted president leaves, he is likely to go to France where the Bongo family has a portfolio of luxury real estate.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba, Bongo, “, Republic Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ulrich Manfoumbi, Gen, Brice Oligui Nguema, Abdou Abarry, …, ”, swirled, Omar Bongo, ” Bongo’s, Nguema, ” Nguema, It’s Organizations: CNN, United Nations Regional Office, Central, Gabonese Locations: Gabon, Central African, Republic, Central Africa, Libreville, Morocco, Bongo, France, United States

☆ Fitch places Gabon on 'rating watch negative' following coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soldiers of the Republican Guard stand on their armed pick-up in a street in Libreville, Gabon August 30, 2023 REUTERS/Scott Ngokila Acquire Licensing RightsSept 5 (Reuters) - Credit ratings agency Fitch said on Tuesday it has placed Gabon on "rating watch negative" (RWN), citing high political uncertainty in the Central African nation following a military coup last month. Fitch placed Gabon's 'B-' Long-Term Foreign-Currency and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings on RWN in an unscheduled review. It said the coup may have weakened Gabon's financial prospects by hurting the operational capacity of institutions responsible for its treasury and debt management, and also affecting the country's access to regional debt markets. "We assume Gabon will rely more on the regional market for financing at higher interest costs as the coup heightens the market's nervousness," Fitch said. The credit ratings agency added that a resumption of the country's IMF programme was also now unlikely.

Persons: Scott Ngokila, Fitch, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Pushkala, Shailesh Organizations: Republican Guard, REUTERS, Central, IMF, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, Central, West, Bengaluru

☆ Central African Republic President Meets Gabon Junta Leader for Talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Wilfried ObangomeLIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Central African Republic President Faustin Touadera held closed-door talks with Gabon's junta-appointed leader in Libreville on Tuesday in the wake of the main regional bloc's condemnation of the Aug. 30 coup. Central African bloc ECCAS has suspended Gabon's membership, but has so far stopped short of imposing sanctions in response to the non-violent military ouster of President Ali Bongo - West and Central Africa's eighth coup in three years. In a possible sign some internal political forces are rallying around the new authorities, the leader of Gabon's main opposition alliance, Albert Ondo Ossa, said he had spoken with Nguema on Tuesday. Military officers seized power shortly after Bongo was announced as its winner - a result they annulled and said was not credible. Apart from one video appeal for international support, little has been heard from Bongo since he was placed under house arrest during the coup.

Persons: Wilfried Obangome, Faustin Touadera, Ali Bongo, Brice Oligui Nguema, Bongo, Touadera, Nguema, Gabon's, Albert Ondo Ossa, Alessandra Prentice, Leslie Adler Organizations: Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE, Reuters, African, Gabon's, Central, Military Locations: Libreville, Gabonese, Gabon, Ondo

☆ Keep an eye on 'blue' bonds, a little-known income alternative tied to clean water
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"Blue" bonds, securities focused on protecting bodies of water, are popping up with increased frequency with the help of nonprofits. Earlier this month, Denmark's renewable energy producer Ørsted said it would become the first energy company to issue blue bonds. But he said there likely won't be more options until there is wider demand for those blue bonds already available. Because of this, he recommends investors look beyond blue bonds to green bonds that have some focus on water issues. The primary investment thesis behind blue bonds, Atkinson said, is understanding the risk of ignoring the need for healthy oceans and clean water.

Persons: Kris Atkinson, Nomura, Ørsted, Fidelity's Atkinson, Atkinson, Aya Kawamoto, Morgan Stanley, Simon Waever, Waever, Green, Kawamoto, We're, Michael Bloom Organizations: The World Bank, Fidelity International, Nature Conservancy, United Nations, AXA, Inter, American Development Bank, Life Insurance, Conservancy, Treasury Locations: Seychelles, Fiji, Portugal, Europe, East, Africa, Barbados, Belize, Gabon

☆ Gabon coup leader sworn in as interim president in scene of jubilation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Gabon coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema is sworn in as interim president during his swearing-in ceremony, in Libreville, Gabon, September 4, 2023. State TV showed images of a cheering crowd and armoured personnel carriers firing into the sea to mark the moment. PLEDGE TO RETURN POWER TO CIVILIANSNguema reiterated that his administration would organise free and fair elections, though he gave no timetable. "After this transition ... we intend to return power to civilians by organising new elections that will be free, transparent, credible and peaceful," he said. The coup had drawn cheering crowds onto the streets of the capital Libreville but condemnation from abroad.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Bongo, Ali Bongo, Nguema, Nellie Peyton, Karin Strohecker, Alessandra Prentice, Estelle Shirbon, Peter Graff, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Central Africa LIBREVILLE, Gabon's, Central, State, Central African, United Nations, African Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, West, Central, of Gabon

CNN —The leader of Gabon’s military junta, Gen. Brice Nguema, was sworn in as interim president by the country’s constitutional court during a televised ceremony Monday. Last week, Nguema led a coup that ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, a military takeover that appears to have truncated the Bongo family’s decades-long dominance over Gabonese politics. Celebrations also broke out across the tiny nation with thousands of supporters expressing solidarity with the military. Nguema, a former bodyguard for Omar Bongo, was swiftly installed as a transitional leader. He was inaugurated as interim president on Monday amid a military parade and cheers from his civilian supporters.

Persons: Brice Nguema, Nguema, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Bongo, Omar Bongo, It’s, ”, Albert Ondo Ossa Organizations: CNN, Getty, ” Reuters Locations: Central, AFP, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Tunisia, Gabon, Gabonese

☆ Gabon reopens borders three days after military coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Gabonese military appear on television as they announce that they have seized power following President Ali Bongo Ondimba's re-election, in this screengrab obtained by Reuters on August 30, 2023. Gabon 1ere/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDAKAR, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Gabon reopened its borders on Saturday, an army spokesman said, three days after closing them during a military coup in which President Ali Bongo was ousted. Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday, placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power. Coup leaders have come under international pressure to restore civilian government but said last night that they would not rush to hold elections. Bongo was elected in 2009, taking over from his late father Omar, who came to power in 1967.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba's, Ali Bongo, General Brice Oligui Nguema, Bongo, Omar, Jyoti Narayan, Cooper, Edward McAllister, Tomasz Janowski, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Military, Thomson Locations: Gabonese, Gabon, Handout, West, Central Africa, Guinea, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Bengaluru, Dakar

☆ Gabon coup leader will not rush to elections despite mounting pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Trucks carrying industrial equipments wait because of the closure of the border after the coup in Gabon, in the border town of Kye-Ossi, Cameroon August 31, 2023. The officers placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power. "Going as quickly as possible does not mean organising ad hoc elections, where we will end up with the same errors," he said. Gabon's election commission said after the election that Bongo had been re-elected with 64% of the vote, while Ondo Ossa secured almost 31%. It said it will impose sanctions on the coup leaders if they do not restore constitutional order.

Persons: Danga, Nguema, Gabon's, Ali Bongo, General Brice Oligui Nguema, Bongo, Alexandra Pangha, Albert Ondo Ossa, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, Bongo Valentin, Bongo's, Mohamed Bazoum, Ondo Ossa, Pangha, Wilfried Obangome, Sonia Rolley, Libby George, Juliette Jabkhiro, Edward McAllister, Anait Miridzhanian, Sofia Christensen, Frances Kerry, Peter Graff, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Military, Central Africa's, Central African, ECCAS, United Nations, African Union, BBC, Nguema, Gabon, Timothe, Ondo, Security, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Kye, Ossi, Cameroon, Monday LIBREVILLE, Libreville, Republic, France, United States, State, Guinea, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ondo

Together, experts say, these efforts aim to enhance China’s military reach, which currently includes only one operational overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. “It’s a question of when – not if – China will secure its next overseas military outpost,” he said. This photo taken on August 1, 2017, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti. The Hambantota commercial port in Sri Lanka has long been considered a prime candidate for a Chinese naval base. However, China’s path to developing permanent overseas bases, if indeed that is its aim, is not straightforward.

Persons: FDD, Craig Singleton, “, –, ”, Tea Banh, FDD’s Singleton, Tang Chhin Sothy, Singleton, Xi Jinping, Stringer, ” AidData, Stephen J, Townsend, ” Townsend, Bata, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ken Ishii, ’, ” Singleton, China’s, Aaron Favila, Isaac Kardon, Kardon, ” Kardon, BlackSky Singleton, Rob Wittman, Fu Tian, Seth Moulton, ” Moulton, Martin Meiners Organizations: South Korea CNN, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Ream, Base, CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ream Naval Base, ” Cambodian Defense, Cambodian, Getty, Fleet, Communist Party, US, Liberation Army personnel, William & Mary University, Sri Lankan Navy, US Africa Command, Gabonese, of, Xinhua, Naval Research Academy, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, East China Seas, China, Control, Organization, Force, Strategic, International Studies, Defense Department, Chinese Communist Party, ”, Virginia Republican, The Defense Department, Qingdao Port, People's Liberation Army Navy, China News Service, America, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, Beijing, Washington, Cambodia, Argentina, Cuba, Djibouti, of Africa, Africa, West Asia, Gulf, Thailand, United States, Preah Sihanouk, AFP, Horn of Africa, “, South, Taiwan, Virginia, —, Sri Lanka, Bata , Equatorial Guinea, Gwadar, Pakistan, Kribi, Cameroon, Ream, Vanuatu, Nacala, Mozambique, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Colombo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, West Africa, South China, East Asia, East, Asia, Washington In Washington, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shandong province, Massachusetts

☆ Gabon coup: How France's neo-colonial empire in its former territories is disintegrating
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

A torn campaign billboard shows ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Libreville on August 31, 2023. AFP/Getty ImagesPropping up ‘democratic dictators’Whilst the international community has condemned the coup in Gabon, it has not attracted the same vehement criticism that last month’s coup in Niger did. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said France was watching the coup d’etat in Gabon “with the utmost attention.”It presents a challenge to France. Large crowds supporting the coup gathered Sunday near the French military base in Niamey, with demonstrators displaying signs demanding French troops withdraw. “The systems of government that former French colonies have, which were imposed by Paris are no longer fit for purpose.

Persons: Leon, Charles de Gaulle, Gaulle, Bongo, jubilation, General Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, ’, Oluwole, Elisabeth Borne, Chris Ogunmodede, that’s, Paul Biya, Ogunmodede, ” Ogunmodede, …, ” Ojewale, “, Ndongo Samba Sylla, Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: CNN, Military, Gabonese, Agence France, Presse, Gabon, Getty, Institute of Security Studies, autocrats, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, “, Macron Locations: Gabon, France, Gabon’s, Libreville, AFP, Niger, Gabonese, West, Central Africa, Mali, Senegal, Dakar, ”, Niamey, Paris, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Switzerland, Africa, Russia, Commonwealth, Togo, Macron France, Nigeria, “ Africa

☆ African leaders work on response to Gabon military coup ousting President Bongo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the current chair of West African bloc ECOWAS, said on Wednesday he was working closely with other African leaders to contain what he called a "contagion of autocracy" spreading across Africa. Senior officers in Gabon announced their coup before dawn on Wednesday, shortly after an election body declared that Bongo had comfortably won a third term after Saturday's vote. The coups also showed the limited leverage of African powers once the military takes over. Military leaders elsewhere have also resisted international pressure, such as in Mali. The African Union, former colonial power France, the United States, Canada and Britain have all expressed concern about the coup.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Bola Tinubu, General Brice Oligui Nguema, Omar, Josep Borrell Organizations: Economic, Central African States, West, ECOWAS, Military, African Union Locations: Gabon, West, Central Africa, Nigerian, Africa, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Libreville, France, United States, Canada, Britain, European

Below are five charts showing what's been moved and/or shaken:1/SHOCK FOR THE STOCKSMSCI's 24-country emerging markets (EM) stocks index (.MSCIEF) is down 6% this month. It is still up for the year, though well below the 13.5% gain this year for MSCI's main global index, which has benefited from a boom in U.S. "mega-cap" stocks. "The markets that have underperformed are the lower-yielding markets like Asia," Mike Arno, a portfolio manager at Brandywine Global, said. "The market doesn't seem to think that China is a major threat," said Aegon Asset Management's head of EM debt, Jeff Grills. Reuters Graphics5/OUT OF AFRICAThe other big trouble spot has been Africa, where debt markets have seen a sharp pullback.

Persons: Jason Lee, what's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Katherine Marney, Mike Arno, Jeff, Erdogan, Van Eck's, Eric Fine, Viktor Szabo, Szabo, Marc Jones, Rodrigo Campos, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, JPMorgan, Brandywine, FX, HK, EMBI, abrdn, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, MIWD00000PUS, Hungary, America, Brazil, Argentina, Asia, TURKEY, Gabon, Niger, JPMorgan's Africa, London, New York

☆ Oil prices up on tighter supply, China PMI in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Global oil prices were up in early trade on Thursday backed by tighter U.S. supply, with a focus on China factory activity due later in the day amid recent weak economic expansion data in the world's second-biggest economy. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 10 cents, or 0.13%, to $81.74. Prices are on the rise this week, with U.S. government data showing tighter-than-expected crude supplies and a military coup in Gabon, an OPEC member, raising fears of crude oil supply disruptions providing additional support on Wednesday. "Bad news was good, as weaker U.S. economic data lowered expectations of another rate hike," ANZ Research said in a note. Higher interest rate reduce demand and pressure oil prices down.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Katya Golubkova, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brent, . West Texas, U.S, Analysts, OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, Federal, Boston Fed, ANZ Research, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, China, Gabon, Saudi Arabia, Russia, The U.S

☆ Gabon military coup: What to know about the overthrow of the Bongo dynasty
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

International leaders have expressed concern and condemnation of the coup, some warning their citizens in Gabon to shelter in place. The military’s power grab began Wednesday, shortly after Gabon’s election authority said Bongo had been re-elected president following last weekend’s election. People celebrate following a military coup in Libreville, Gabon, on August 30. Coups in Africa were rampant in the early postcolonial decades, with coup leaders offering similar reasons for toppling governments: corruption, mismanagement and poverty, according to political analyst Remi Adekoya. The Gabon coup has been widely criticized by other African nations and in the West.

Persons: –, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ali Bongo, Bongo, ”, president’s, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Oligui, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, “, Brice Oligui Nguema, there’s, Omar Bongo, Gabon's, Omar Bongo Ondimba, Nicolas Sarkozy, Frederic SOULOY, Ali Bongo’s, Remi Adekoya, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Ali, General Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN, Agence France, Presse, ” Residents, Bongo PDG, Reuters, Gabonese, Gabon Wednesday, African Union, ” United Nations, US State Department Locations: African, Gabon, Libreville, Ayong, Gabonese, Dakar, Senegal, Span, France, United States, Paris, Africa’s, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Tunisia, Africa, West, United Kingdom, Spain

As the all-powerful ruler of oil-rich Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba had two passions, music and forests, that forged powerful ties across the world. An accomplished musician, Mr. Bongo recorded a disco-funk album and lured James Brown and Michael Jackson to Gabon. As president, he built a music studio at his seaside palace and played improv jazz to foreign diplomats at state dinners. More recently, Mr. Bongo allied with Western scientists and conservationists, entranced by both the paradisiacal beauty of Gabon, an Arizona-sized country covered in lush rainforest and teeming with wildlife, and by his commitment to protecting it. But to his own people, Mr. Bongo, 64, embodied a family dynasty, founded by his father, which had dominated Gabon for 56 years — until this week, when it came crashing down.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba, Bongo, James Brown, Michael Jackson, . Bongo Locations: Gabon, an Arizona

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