French oil group TotalEnergies said in a statement on Wednesday that its top priority was to "ensure the safety of its employees and operations" in Gabon, where a group of army officers have announced that they have seized power.

The group did not specify whether its activities remained operational in the country, while mining company Eramet announced the suspension of its operations in Gabon.

TotalEnergies has been present in Gabon in exploration and production for over 80 years through its subsidiary TotalEnergies EP Gabon, as well as in marketing and services with its unit TotalEnergies Marketing Gabon.

The group, which employs 350 people in Gabon, is also involved in the distribution of petroleum products in the country, with 45 stations.

TotalEnergies EP Gabon was down 18.63% on the Paris Bourse at 09:10 GMT.

Early on Wednesday, a group of senior Gabonese army officers announced on television that they had seized power, just minutes after Ali Bongo announced his victory in the presidential election for a third term. (Benjamin Mallet reports, written by Zhifan Liu and Kate Entringer, edited by Blandine Hénault)