Gabon foiled an attempted military coup Monday, arresting several plotters just hours after they took over state radio in a bid to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo's family.
Government spokesman Guy-Bertrand Mapangou said four of the five officers involved were arrested in the capital Libreville. A fifth officer fled and is being pursued, he said.
In a radio message at 4:30 a.m., Lt. Kelly Ondo Obiang, who described himself as an officer in the Republican Guard, said Bongo's New Year's Eve address from Morocco, where he is recovering from a stroke, "reinforced doubts about the president's ability to continue to carry out of the responsibilities of his office."