The African Union condemns the attempted military rebellion carried out by military officers in Gabon on Monday morning, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairperson of the union's commission, said.

Earlier in the day, a group of military servicemen seized the state broadcasting station of Gabon to announce the creation of the so-called national restoration council. In their statement, the officers said that they had been disappointed by the December 31 address of President Ali Bongo Ondimba and branded it "a deplorable performance of the fierce attempt to retain power."

"The @_AfricanUnion strongly condemns the coup attempt this morning in #Gabon. I reaffirm the AU's total rejection of all unconstitutional change of power," Mahamat wrote on his Twitter blog.

The military servicemen who were involved in the attempted coup were arrested by the country's security services. According to the government, a total of four rebels were arrested, while one individual managed to escape. The government indicated that the situation in the country would be completely stabilized in the coming hours.

On October 24, the Gabonese president was hospitalized with what later turned out to be a strike, according to media reports. The country's leader is currently undergoing medical treatment in Morocco.