LOC18:16
15:16 GMT
RABAT, Jan 7 (KUNA) -- Gabon thwarted a military coup attempt staged by officers in the wee hours of Monday in a bid to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo's family.
"Four of the five officers involved were arrested in the capital Libreville, while a fifth officer fled and is being pursued," said government spokesman Guy-Bertrand Mapangou.
In his first televised appearance since suffering a stroke, Bongo, who is in Morocco for treatment, looked frail as he vowed to return to the central African nation to carry on with his presidential duties.
The Bongo family has ruled Gabon since 1967, while Bongo has been president since 2009 after succeeding his late father Omar. (end)
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