Residents of Gabon's capital Libreville woke up to shots being fired and tanks patrolling streets early on Monday morning after military officers launched a coup attempt in the country.

Here are three things you need to know about what's happening: 1. Who is behind the coup and what is its objective?

Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, the soldier who announced the seizure of power through national media, identified himself as Deputy Commander of the Republican Guard and President of the Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabonese Defense and Security Forces (MPJFDS).
According to his statement, the group had to seize power because Gabon's President Ali Bong was physically and mentally incapable of ruling the country due to his health.
He criticised "the high military hierarchy" for failing to defend "the best interest of the nation" by tolerating the president's lies about his health, referring to a New Year's speech made in Morocco in which he claimed he was well.

Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang announced the seizure of power through national media [Youtube/AFP]

Ondo Obiang said the aim of the coup was to save democracy and preserve "the integrity of the national territory and national cohesion".
Describing the coup as "Operation Dignity", he asked all security forces and the youth of Gabon to arm themselves and "take control of all means of transport, barracks, security checkpoints, armories, airports".
Gabon will be ruled by "a national council of restoration" which will be set up shortly, Ondo Obiang said.
He said the coup was being carried out against "those who, in a cowardly way, assassinated our young compatriots on the night of August 31, 2016", a reference to deadly violence that erupted after Bongo was declared the winner of a disputed election. 2. What is Bongo's story?
The Bongo family has ruled the oil-producing country for nearly half a century. Bongo has been president since succeeding his father, Omar, who died in 2009 after ruling for 42 years. His re-election in 2016 was marred by claims of fraud and violent protest.
The 59-year-old president was hospitalised in October in Saudi Arabia after suffering a stroke. He has been in Morocco since November to continue treatment.
In his speech to mark the New Year, Bongo acknowledged health problems but said he was recovering. He slurred some of his words and did not move his right arm, but otherwise appeared in decent health. 3. Is this the first coup in the country?
Gabon has experienced a military coup once before. In 1964, army officers rose against President Leon Mba, but he took control back within days with the help of French President Charles de Gaulle.
More than 150 of Mba's opponents were arrested following the incident with the president vowing to show "no pardon or pity".

 Source: aljazeera.com