African Union peace and security council to meet on Gabon coup

The meeting will be chaired by Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, and Willy Nyamitwe, who holds the rotating presidency of the council.

In a statement, the AU said it "strongly condemns" the coup and called on Gabon's army and security forces to "guarantee the physical integrity" of President Ali Bongo Ondimba.

The coup leaders announced on Wednesday that they had seized power following disputed elections in which Bongo was declared the winner.

The AU's decision to hold an emergency meeting on the coup is a sign of the organization's concern about the situation in Gabon. The coup is the latest in a series of political crises in the Central African country.