NewsRescue
The Republic of the Congo’s government has refuted claims of a military coup against President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has been in power for nearly four decades.
“Fanciful information suggests that serious events are occurring in Brazzaville.” The government rejects the existence of false news. “We reassure the public about the calm that prevails and invite people to go about their business calmly,” the government said in a statement on Sunday.
Rumours of a military takeover in the Central African country began to circulate on social media on Sunday, while Nguesso was attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to these accusations, armed personnel began capturing important facilities and government installations in Brazzaville, the nation’s capital.
Last month, soldiers in neighbouring Gabon, a former French colony, deposed Ali Bongo, the Central African country’s president of 14 years. This followed the July revolution in Niger, which toppled President Mohamed Bazoum, causing tensions between the putschists and the French government, the former colonial ruler of the West African country.
Nguesso, 79, was elected President of the Republic of Congo, a former French territory, in 1979 and served until 1992. behind losing Congo’s first multi-party elections in 1992, the Congolese leader returned to power in 1997, becoming Africa’s third-longest-serving president behind Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea and Paul Biya of Cameroon.
An modification to the country’s constitution in 2015 removed age limitations for presidential candidates over 70 and the two-term limit, allowing Nguesso to run for reelection. In the 2021 elections, he won his fourth presidential term, giving him another five years in government.