<p>Soldiers have attempted to take control in Gabon in an attempted coup, as the ruling president, Ali Bongo, remains abroad receiving medical treatment for a reported stroke. </p>
<p>Seizing control of national state radio, Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, urged people to "rise up", with the message being carried on state television and social media. </p>
<p>AFP reported shots were heard close to the radio station, situated in the centre of Libreville.</p>
<p>Lieutenant Obiang, who said he was the leader of the Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabon Defence and Security Forces, said the president's New Year's Eve speech, in which he slurred his words, "reinforced doubts about the president’s ability to continue to carry out of the responsibilities of his office.”</p>
<p>The Bongo family has ruled the country since 1967. </p>
<p>Read more <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gabon-coup-latest-afric…">here</a>, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/gabon-army-seizes-national-radio…">here</a> and <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20190107-gabon-soldiers-seize-state-radio-s…">here</a>. </p>
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