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When President Leon Mba of Gabon was toppled by the military in 1964, then-French President Charles de Gaulle sprang into action and immediately sent French troops to restore Mba to power.
Gabon declared its independence from France on August 17, 1960. Leon Mba became president before being overthrown in a military coup three years later, then France intervened militarily and returned him to power. Albert Bernard Bongo came to power and established the Gabonese Democratic Party as the country's sole governing party, benefiting from oil revenues. In 1973, Bongo converted to Islam and became Hadji Omar Bongo, before adding Ondimba (his father's name) to him in 2003.