This is the purpose of the visit of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, during her three-day fact-finding mission to Gabon, following the military coup of August 30.
According to the Commonwealth Charter, “ Member States must respect the rule of law and the principles of democracy at all times.” To this end, Gabon has two years to comply or risk being suspended from the Commonwealth. Because the Harare Declaration of the Commonwealth states that members must have civil regime. Visiting Gabon, Patricia Scotland met in turn with the President of the Transition, General Brice Oligui Nguema, members of civil society, political parties, Commonwealth High Commissioners and diplomats to understand their assessment of the current political situation in the country. She also met deposed president Ali Bongo at his residence in Libreville on September 7. According to the Commonwealth Secretary, “It is important to listen to everyone to have a balanced assessment of the situation before preparing my report which will be shared with Commonwealth member countries”, said Patricia Scotland KC. Remember that Gabon joined the Commonwealth in June 2022, under the leadership of former President Ali Bongo Ondimba. This intergovernmental organization, made up of 54 member countries with English as a shared language, did not condemn the coup d’état in the country, but rather denounced “an illegal takeover of power” in Gabon.
