Gabon was suspended from the African Union on August 31 after Nguema overthrew president Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power for 55 years…reports Asian Lite News
Gabon’s transitional president on Thursday asked his Ivory Coast counterpart for help in getting African Union sanctions lifted, during a meeting in Abidjan.
General Brice Oligui Nguema, who came to power in a coup last August, met Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara during a visit to the country for “work and friendship” from Thursday to Saturday.
“I am asking for the support of my elder here to plead in favor of lifting of the African Union sanctions against Gabon, and I know I can count on you,” the general said, addressing the Ivorian president.
Gabon was suspended from the African Union on August 31 after Nguema overthrew president Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power for 55 years.
He pledged to hand back the oil-rich central African country to civilian rule after a two-year transitional period.
The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which had also suspended Gabon over the coup, reinstated it in March.
Thursday’s meeting came after Gabon earlier this month launched a national dialogue intended to pave the way for elections in 2025.
In a joint statement to the press, the general said that he had given Ouattara an “update and report” on the “progress of the current dialogue in Libreville.”
He also thanked Ouattara for his “involvement” and “constant willingness to support and accompany the transition process on Gabonese soil.”
For his part, Ouattara told reporters that the meeting led to “fruitful exchanges.”
Ouattara praised Nguema for “the efforts you are making to return to constitutional normality” and for convening an “inclusive national dialogue.”
Gabon’s transitional president also plans to hold talks with the Gabonese diaspora during his visit.
The coup – the eighth in west and central Africa in three years – has raised concerns about the further spread military takeovers across the region…reports Asian Lite News
Gabon has reopened its borders, an army spokesperson said, three days after closing them during a military coup in which the president, Ali Bongo, was ousted.
Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday, placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family’s 56-year hold on power.
The coup – the eighth in west and central Africa in three years – has raised concerns about the further spread military takeovers across the region, which have erased democratic progress made in the past two decades.
The leaders of the coup in Gabon have come under international pressure to restore civilian government but they said last night that they would not rush to hold elections.
An army spokesman said on national television that the country’s land, sea and air borders were reopened because the junta was “concerned with preserving respect for the rule of law, good relations with our neighbours and all states of the world” and wanted to keep its “international commitments”.
Bongo was elected in 2009, taking over from his late father, Omar, who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the family did little to share Gabon’s oil and mining wealth.
The takeover in Gabon follows coups in Guinea, Chad and Niger, plus two each in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020, worrying international powers with strategic interests at stake.
‘No rush to elections and same mistakes’
The leader of a coup that overthrew Gabon’s President Ali Bongo says he wants to avoid rushing into elections that “repeat past mistakes” as pressure mounts to hand back power to a civilian government.
A spokesman for Gabon’s military rulers also said on state TV they “decided with immediate effect to reopen the land, sea and air borders as of this Saturday”.
Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday minutes after an announcement that Bongo had secured a third term in an election.
The officers placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family’s 56-year hold on power.
The coup – West and Central Africa’s eighth in three years – drew cheering crowds onto the streets of the capital, Libreville, but condemnation from abroad and at home.
“Our aim is to move as quickly as possible, quickly but surely. Moving as quickly as possible doesn’t mean organising elections in a rush where we’ll end up with the same mistakes, where the same people will continue in power, and it all comes back to the same thing,” Nguema said in a televised address on Friday night.
Regional bloc, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), has urged partners led by the United Nations and the African Union to support a rapid return to constitutional order, it said in a statement after an extraordinary meeting on Thursday. It said it would reconvene on Monday.
Gabon’s main opposition group, Alternance 2023, which says it is the rightful winner of the election, urged the international community on Friday to encourage the generals to hand power back to civilians.
Bongo was elected in 2009, taking over from his late father who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the family did little to share Gabon’s oil and mining wealth.
For years the Bongo family occupied a luxurious palace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They own expensive cars and properties in France and the United States, often paid for in cash, according to a 2020 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a global network of investigative journalists.
Meanwhile, almost one-third of the country’s 2.3 million people live in poverty.
Military leaders ordered the arrest of one of Bongo’s sons, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, and several members of Bongo’s cabinet on accusations ranging from alleged embezzlement to narcotics trafficking.
State broadcaster Gabon 24 said on Thursday that duffel bags stuffed with cash wrapped in plastic had been confiscated from the homes of various officials. Its footage included a raid on the house of former cabinet director Ian Ghislain Ngoulou.
Standing next to Bongo Valentin, he told the channel the money was part of Bongo’s election fund. It was unclear when the images were shot.
Lawyers for Bongo’s wife Sylvia said on Friday that Bongo Valentin was being held in an undisclosed location, and the family is concerned about his safety.
“You need politicians to manage a transition and above all a state,” said retired Libreville resident Timothe Moutsinga. “We expect a lot from this government and this transition, a transfer of power to civilians.”
The takeover in Gabon follows coups in Guinea, Chad and Niger, plus two each in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020. The takeovers have erased democratic gains in a region where insecurity and widespread poverty have weakened elected governments, worrying international powers with strategic interests at stake.
Earlier, in May 2022, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid the first-ever high-level bilateral visit to Gabon…reports Asian Lite News
India and Gabon on Tuesday held their first Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi, eschanging views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the UN and other multilateral fora; climate change; International Solar Alliance (ISA) and sustainable development, according to the statement released by Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian delegation was led by Sevala Naik Mude, Joint Secretary (Central & West Africa Division), Ministry of External Affairs while the Gabonese side was headed by Guy Gerard Nkolo, Ambassador, director general of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Gabon.
The two nations carried out a comprehensive review of the existing bilateral relations, including strengthening of cooperation in trade and economic relations, defense and maritime, science and technology, innovation, research and development, culture, and people-to-people ties, the statement read.
India and Gabon have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations, which are based on shared democratic values and vision. The bilateral relationship has further strengthened in the past few years with the opening of the Gabonese Mission in New Delhi and the exchange of high-level visits, the statement added.
Earlier, in May 2022, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid the first-ever high-level bilateral visit to Gabon.
During the talks, two MoUs were signed between India and Gabon for establishing a Joint Commission and diplomats’ training. The then VP expressed India’s readiness to work with Gabon to strengthen cooperation in various spheres at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.
In October, Gabonese Foreign Minister Michael Mousa Adamo visited India to participate in the special meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee.
According to the MEA statement, bilateral trade between India and Gabon is growing at a healthy rate and has touched USD 1.12 billion in 2021-22 from USD 440 million in 2017-18, with India now being the 2nd largest destination for Gabonese exports.
Over 50 Indian companies have set up manufacturing units in the Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), as per the statement.
Both sides agreed to hold the next consultations in Libreville, Gabon at a mutually convenient date.
India and Gabon are currently serving as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). (ANI)
