Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a "pause in certain foreign assistance programs" to Gabon pending a review of the circumstances that led to the ouster of the country's former leader.

Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, leader of a coup in Gabon last week, has been sworn in as interim president, while the deposed former president remains detained at his residence.

Crowds celebrated in Gabon after mutinous soldiers said they were seizing power in order to overturn results of a presidential election and remove a leader whose family has held power for 55 years.