The US said that the suspension would not affect its operational activities in the oil-producing central African country, including diplomatic and consular operations supporting US citizens.

The United States has suspended most non-humanitarian aid to Gabon following a coup in the country last month that was at least the second this year in an African nation.

“The US government is pausing certain foreign assistance programmes benefiting the government of Gabon while we evaluate the unconstitutional intervention by members of the country’s military,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement released Tuesday by the US State Department.

Blinken said the suspension would not affect US government operational activities in the oil-rich central African nation, including diplomatic and consular operations supporting US citizens. The statement did not elaborate on what US-funded programmes would be affected or how much money would be placed on hold.

The measure is in line with steps taken by Economic Community of Central African States, the African Union, and other international partners, Blinken added.

Gabon is the second country to have witnessed a military takeover following the overthrow of the government in Niger earlier this year. The US also suspended some aid to Niger but has yet to formally determine if what happened was a coup.

Earlier this month, the country’s new military leader was sworn in as the head of state, less than a week after ousting the president whose family had ruled the nation for more than 50 years. The junta has promised to oversee free and fair elections but has not given a precise timetable for organising them.

A 24-month transition to elections in Gabon would be “reasonable” after last month’s coup, junta-appointed Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima was quoted as saying by French news agency AFP earlier this month.

Bongo came to power after the death of his father, who ruled the country for 41 years. The family’s dynastic rule in the oil-producing country had created widespread discontent, with critics saying the Bongos did little to share Gabon’s wealth with its 2.3 million people.

Another group of mutinous soldiers attempted a coup in 2019 but was quickly overpowered.

The African Union suspended Gabon’s membership following the latest coup.