The Peace and Security Council,
Recalling the Declaration [Ext/Assembly/AU/Decl.(XVI)] on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government, adopted by the 16th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Malabo , Equatorial Guinea, from May 27 to 28, 2022; Decision AHG/Dec.141(XXXV) and AHG/Dec.142(XXXV), adopted by the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU held in Algiers, Algeria, from 12 to July 14, 1999; the Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to the Unconstitutional Change of Government, adopted by the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU held in Lomé, Togo, from 10 to 12 July 2000 (the Lomé Declaration); and the Solemn Declaration of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU, adopted in Addis Ababa on May 25, 2013; Also recalling the press release [PSC/PR/BR.(DCCCXI)] adopted at its 821st meeting held on January 9, 2019; and the Press Release of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, issued on August 30, 2023 following the coup d'état in the Gabonese Republic;
Respecting the Consecutive Act of the AU, the Protocol relating to the creation of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, in particular Area 7 (g); and reiterating the AU's zero tolerance for anecdotal changes of government, in accordance with Article 4 (p) of the AU Consecutive Act;
Taking note of the opening speech by H.E. Ambassador Willy Nyamitwe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Burundi to the AU and President of the PSC for the month of August 2023
; of the communication from H.E. MoussaFaki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, delivered on his behalf by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; and the statement made by the Representative of the Secretariat of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); And Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,
1. Reiterates its deep concern about the resurgence of military coups which compromise democracy, peace, security and stability, as well as development in the Continent;
2. Strongly condemns the military coup of August 30, 2023 in the Gabonese Republic, which dismissed President Ali Bongo Ondimba, thus interrupting the constitutional order in the country; and welcomes the press release from the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, published on August 30, 2023, and the press release from the ECCAS Commission, also published on August 30, 2023, on the political situation in the Republic Gabonese, following the coup d'état 3. Decides to immediately suspend the participation of the Gabonese Republic in all activities of the AU and its organs and institutions until the establishment of constitutional order in the country, in accordance with the relevant AU instruments, in particular the Act Constitution of the AU and the Protocol relating to the creation of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union;
4. Demands the immediate restoration of constitutional order through the holding of free, fair, credible and transparent elections which would be observed by the Electoral Observation Mission of the AU and the region concerned;
5. Also demands that the military immediately return to the barracks and unconditionally return power to the civilian authorities, respect their constitutional mandate and the principle of constitutionalism and refrain from any interference in the political process in Gabon, failing which the Council will take the necessary measures, including the imposition of targeted sanctions against the perpetrators of the coup;
6. Further demands the immediate release and guarantee of the human rights, personal integrity, security and health of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, members of his family and members of his government; condemns any politically motivated arrests in these circumstances and stresses the importance of ensuring that all political detainees are treated within the justice system, as provided for in the country's laws;
7. Reaffirms the solidarity of the AU with the Gabonese people in their legitimate aspirations for democracy and good governance and encourages them to remain calm, to refrain from any action likely to aggravate the situation and also to prioritize dialogue as the only viable approach to finding consensual and lasting solutions to the challenges facing the country;
8. Requests the AU Commission to deploy a high-level mission to Gabon to engage with key Gabonese stakeholders, in collaboration with ECCAS and other relevant stakeholders on all critical issues, with a view to laying the foundations necessary for the immediate transfer of power to a civilian-led, democratically elected government.
9. Also requests the Chairperson of the Commission to continue to closely monitor developments in the situation, including through the establishment of an inclusive monitoring mechanism, comprising the AU, ECCAS and other stakeholders concerned, and to report to the Council within fifteen (15) days following the adoption of this press release;
10. Mandates the AU Commission, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) to strengthen early warning and rapid response mechanisms to ensure effective deployment of preventive diplomacy efforts;
11. Stresses the need for Member States to comprehensively address the root structural causes and conditions that facilitate unconstitutional changes of government and, in this regard, reiterates its request to the AU Commission, with support Member States and RECs/RMs, to undertake a comprehensive and objective study on the deep structural causes of unconstitutional changes of government;
12. Firmly rejects any external interference by an actor or country outside the Continent in matters of peace and security in Africa, including the actions of private military companies on the Continent, in accordance with the 1977 OAU Convention for elimination of mercenarism in Africa; And
13. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
PSC/PR/COMM.1172 (2023)
Comments