This video grab shows soldiers holding General Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema aloft in Libreville, Gabon, Aug 30, 2023. (PHOTO / GABON24 VIA AP)

YAOUNDE - The Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States, a central African regional bloc, decided on Monday to suspend Gabon's membership following the military coup in the country last week.

Leaders of the regional bloc made the decision at an extraordinary session on Monday held in neighboring Equatorial Guinea.

The leaders condemned the use of force to resolve political conflicts, and called for a rapid return to constitutional order in Gabon.

Military officers in Gabon seized power last week, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest and naming a new leader, after the country's election body announced Bongo had won a third term in the presidential election on Aug 26.

READ MORE: Gabon coup leader won’t rush to elections despite pressure

Brice Oligui Nguema, president of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, was sworn in as Gabon's "transitional president" in the capital of Libreville Monday, promising the adoption of a new constitution by referendum and "fair" elections after the transition.