US halts Gabon aid after coup

The United States said Tuesday it would halt assistance to Gabon after the military took charge last month. “The US government is pausing certain foreign assistance programs benefiting the government of Gabon while we evaluate the unconstitutional intervention by members of the country’s military,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. He said that the United States was maintaining diplomatic and consular operations in the oil-rich Central African country. The move is temporary as the State Department considers a formal determination that Gabon experienced a military coup, which under US law would snap off assistance. US officials have previously said that US assistance was minimal to Gabon, run by the Bongo family for more than half a century.GBDESK//