The situation in Gabon remained unclear yesterday, a day after soldiers attempted a coup d’etat as the government shut down the
internet and broadcasting services while claiming the renegade troops had been killed or arrested.

The attempted takeover occurred as
President Ali Bongo was out of the country receiving medical treatment in Morocco.The move to blackout sources of information during the insurrection was denounced by
the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
“Shutting down the internet and
broadcasting services during times of crisis makes it impossible for journalists to carry out their work efficiently and safely,” said the group’s Africa programme coordinator Angela Quintal.

“Citizens are robbed of access to the reliable information that they need to make decisions. We call on authorities in Gabon to immediately and fully restore access to the
internet and lift all restrictions on
broadcasting,” she said in a statement.
Sources told Al Jazeera the internet and news sources remained unavailable yesterday. Soldiers took control of the national radio station’s offices at dawn on Monday and called on the public to rise up against Bongo (59) who has been recuperating abroad after suffering a stroke in Saudi Arabia in October.
Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, backed by two soldiers standing behind him with assault rifles, appeared on national television saying the coup attempt was by a group called the Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon.Chronicle