The spokesperson for the new regime, conveyed on state television that the military aimed to provide reassurance to donors by emphasizing their commitment to honoring all domestic and international obligations while gradually implementing transitional institutions.

The military sought to reassure donors they would “respect all commitments” at home and abroad and “phase in” transitional institutions, Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, spokesman for the new regime, said on state television.

The general who overthrew Gabon’s 55-year Bongo dynasty will be sworn in on Monday as transitional president, the army said, as the opposition called for its candidate to be recognized as the winner of weekend elections.

The swearing in of General Brice Oligui Nguema will take place at the constitutional court, said the spokesman, providing the first indication of how the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) would operate following Wednesday’s putsch.

But the African Union’s Peace and Security Council strongly condemned the coup and said it decided to “immediately suspend” Gabon until the restoration of constitutional order in the country.

Ali Bongo, whose father Omar held power for more than four decades, was toppled moments after being declared outright winner in bitterly disputed weekend elections.

Amid scenes of joy in the oil-rich state, the coup leaders had named the head of the elite Republican Guard, General Oligui Nguema, as transitional president.

But they imposed a nighttime curfew “to maintain calm and serenity” and Gabon’s borders remained closed.

There were few outward signs of the political turmoil on the capital’s streets on Thursday.

Bongo’s fate remains unclear but the CTRI, which includes the heads of all army corps, said he had been put under house arrest and “placed in retirement”.

The US State Department said it was “strongly opposed to military seizures” but voiced concerns over the “lack of transparency and reports of irregularities surrounding the election”.

The vote was held without international observers, and foreign journalists had been restricted from covering the event, said media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Khalil Wakim, with AFP