- A 23-year-old living in Libreville, Gabon, named Doles Gabriel views General Brice Oligui Ngeuma as a Moses-like figure who has freed the country from the shackles of President Ali Bongo, his former employer. Since Gabon gained its independence from France in 1960, the Bongo dynasty has held power for all but seven years. From the time he took office in 1967 until his passing in 2009, Omar Bongo served as president. Ali Bongo, his son, was his successor until Gen Ngeuma overthrew him last month.
- Omar Bongo and Gen Nguema were close friends, and Gen Nguema planned a “palace coup” to keep the Bongo family in power. Ali Bongo made him the leader of the elite Republican Guard, placing him in charge of his personal security after initially ignoring him. The man Gen Nguema was meant to defend lost power shortly after Bongo was declared the victor of last month’s contested elections. He claimed that Bongo should not have run for office again and that the army had made the decision to move on.
- The majority of Libreville residents seem to have faith in the former commander turned provisional president. Many Gabonians have spent their whole lives under the Bongo family’s leadership. A sizable audience applauded him during his inauguration as troops displayed their rifles in a show of power. The general will handle elections in the fear of God, according to Hellen Paul Mongala, who was there for his swearing-in. Leading opposition presidential candidate Ondo Ossa, who claimed Bongo stole the election from him and should have taken office instead, boycotted the ceremony.
- The latest coup in Gabon has the opposition worried that President Nguema intends to stay in power and lead the nation back to its pre-1970 circumstances. The ousted president is welcome to leave the country, according to Gen. Nguema, who has adopted a conciliatory stance. But Mr. Bongo has declined the invitation to travel overseas and instead wants to stay at his own home in Libreville.
- The former president and his family, according to many Gabonese, have amassed wealth at the expense of the country, and Gen. Nguema has been urged to guarantee that Mr. Bongo is prosecuted with corruption. All individuals implicated in acts of corruption or money laundering would be subject to prosecution, according to the newly established agencies. Three individuals close to the Bongos have been detained thus far by the military on suspicion of various offenses, including as money theft, marijuana trafficking, and forging the former president’s signature after a stroke.
- Despite being an oil-rich nation, the United Nations estimates that one-third of Gabon’s 2.4 million residents live in poverty. Opposition politician and financial expert Jean Gaspard, who resides in Libereville, claimed that although the country had great potential, misguided policies had resulted in widespread poverty. Foreign businesses that exploit oil in the nation hire foreigners rather than Gabonese specialists. At Gen. Nguema’s inauguration as interim president, the military showed off its might.
- The oil and wood industries of Gabon are concentrated around the coastal city of Port Gentil, where the country has historically maintained close links with its previous colonial ruler, France. Many French nationals reside there and even run pubs and restaurants. The city has strong anti-French sentiments, and in 2009, some French-owned businesses were set on fire. As a result, Mr. Bongo prohibited anti-French demonstrations.
- The junta has not yet made a decision about whether to lift the ban. No anti-French demonstrations have occurred after the coup, in contrast to Niger, however Kevin Moukadi, a prominent anti-French activist in Port Gentil, declared that he wanted “the French to get out of Gabon.”
Source:
BBC News
