Latest news with #GabonCoup
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Gabon's ousted leader and family released from detention
Ali Bongo Ondimba had been under house arrest in the capital Libreville since 2023. (EPA Images pic) LUANDA : Gabon's former leader Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was detained after being ousted in a 2023 coup, has been released and has arrived in Luanda with his family, Angola's presidency said today. Bongo, whose family ruled Gabon for 55 years, had been under house arrest in the capital Libreville since being overthrown in August 2023. His wife and son had also been in detention, accused of embezzling public funds. A statement on the Angolan presidency's Facebook page announcing the arrival of the Bongo family in Luanda was accompanied by photographs showing the former leader being welcomed at an airport. The 'Bongo family has been released and has just arrived in Luanda', it said. The release of the family followed talks between Angola President Joao Lourenco and Gabon's new leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the statement said, without giving details. Oligui, a former junta leader, seized power in the oil-rich country in the August 2023 coup that ended the 55-year rule of the Bongo dynasty. The general was sworn in earlier this month after winning 94.85% in an April 12 vote in which international observers signalled no major irregularities. Oligui's main rival, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, who was the last prime minister under Bongo, said the family's release demonstrated that their detention 'did not respect the framework of law and justice'. 'President Oligui Nguema did not show clemency: he had to bow to international demands after what everyone understood to be an abuse of power,' he said. Lawyers for Bongo's French-born wife Sylvia, 62, and son Noureddin, 33, alleged they suffered torture while in detention. Several Gabonese media reported recently that they had been moved from cells in an annex of the presidency to a family residence in Libreville. Member of the transitional parliament, Geoffroy Foumboula Libeka, said the move of the family 'in the middle of the night and in total silence' was 'a real disgrace for the first days' of the new government. 'Where is Gabon's sovereignty?' he asked on social media, charging the Bongo family's release was 'the price to pay' for Gabon's reintegration into the African Union, which is currently headed by Lourenco. The African Union announced on April 30 that it had lifted sanctions against Gabon, which was suspended from the organisation following the coup. The country of 2.3 million people has endured high unemployment, regular power and water shortages, and heavy government debt despite its oil wealth. The Gabon presidency announced on social media on May 12 that Lourenco had met Oligui in Libreville for talks focused 'on strengthening bilateral cooperation, the smooth running of democratic elections marking the end of the transition in Gabon'. They also discussed the lifting of sanctions following Gabon's reintegration into the AU. The 66-year-old Bongo, who is suspected to be in poor health, came to power in 2009, taking over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled for 41 years. In 2016, he was narrowly re-elected for a second term by a few thousand votes, beating opposition challenger Jean Ping after a campaign marred by bloody clashes and allegations of fraud. He suffered a stroke in October 2018 while on a visit to Saudi Arabia and there was speculation about his health and fitness to govern when he returned home. His public appearances were rare, and the times when he spoke live outside the confines of the presidential palace were rarer still. Bongo ruled for 14 years until he was overthrown moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election the army and opposition declared fraudulent.
Arab News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Gabon's ousted President Bongo flies to Angola with wife and son
LUANDA: Gabon's former leader, Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was detained after being ousted in a 2023 coup, has been released and has gone to Angola with his family, the Angolan presidency said. Bongo, whose family ruled Gabon for 55 years, had been under house arrest in the capital, Libreville, since being overthrown in August 2023. His wife and son had also been in detention, accused of embezzling public funds. A statement on the Angolan presidency's Facebook page announcing the arrival of the Bongo family in the capital, Luanda, was accompanied by photographs showing the former leader being welcomed at an airport. The 'Bongo family has been released and has just arrived in Luanda,' it said. The release of the family followed talks between Angolan President Joao Lourenço and Gabon's new leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the statement said. Lawyers for the Bongos in France said their release had been the 'result of long efforts on both the judicial and diplomatic levels. 'After 20 months of arbitrary and cruel detention accompanied by torture, the family is finally reunited around the former president Ali Bongo,' they said in a statement. But a prosecutor in Libreville said Bongo's French-born wife Sylvia, 62, and son Noureddin, 33, had only been provisionally freed, awaiting a trial for alleged embezzlement. Prosecutor Eddy Minang said the pair's release 'does not in any way interrupt the normal course of the proceedings, which will continue until a fair, transparent, equitable and timely trial is held.' Oligui, a former junta leader, seized power in the August 2023 coup that ended the 55-year rule of the Bongo dynasty. The general was sworn in earlier this month after winning 94.85 percent in an April 12 vote in which international observers signaled no major irregularities. Oligui's main rival, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, the last prime minister under Bongo, said the family's release demonstrated that their detention 'did not respect the framework of law and justice. 'President Oligui Nguema did not show clemency: He had to bow to international demands after what everyone understood to be an abuse of power,' he said. Lawyers for Sylvia and Noureddin alleged they had suffered torture while in detention. Several Gabonese news media reported recently that they had been moved from cells in an annex of the presidency to a family residence in Libreville. A member of Gabon's transitional parliament, Geoffroy Foumboula Libeka, said the move of the family 'in the middle of the night and total silence' was 'a real disgrace for the first days' of the new government. 'Where is Gabon's sovereignty?' he asked on social media. The Bongo family's release, he said, was 'the price to pay' for the country's reintegration into the African Union, which Angolan leader Lourenco currently heads. The African Union announced on April 30 that it had lifted sanctions against Gabon, which was suspended from the organisation following the coup. The country of 2.3 million people has endured high unemployment, regular power and water shortages, and heavy government debt despite its oil wealth. The Gabon presidency announced on social media on May 12 that Lourenco had met Oligui in Libreville for talks focused 'on strengthening bilateral cooperation, the smooth running of democratic elections marking the end of the transition in Gabon.' They also discussed lifting sanctions following Gabon's reintegration into the AU. Bongo, 66, who is suspected to be in poor health, came to power in 2009, taking over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled for 41 years. In 2016, he was narrowly reelected for a second term by a few thousand votes, beating opposition challenger Jean Ping after a campaign marred by bloody clashes and allegations of fraud. He suffered a stroke in October 2018 while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, and there was speculation about his health and fitness to govern when he returned home. His public appearances were rare, and the times when he spoke live outside the confines of the presidential palace were rarer still. Bongo ruled for 14 years until he was overthrown moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election the army and opposition declared fraudulent.
Russia Today
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ousted African leader relocates to neighboring state
Ousted Gabonese President Ali Bongo and his family have been released from house arrest and have been flown to Angola, African Union (AU) Chairperson Joao Lourenco announced on Friday. The move came days after Lourenço, who is Angola's president, visited the Central African country and held talks with its leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the August 2023 military coup that removed Bongo. 'Following the demonstrations made by the President …of Angola and the President-in-charge of the African Union, Joao Lourenco, together with President Brice Oligui Nguema, from Gabon, the Bongo family has been released and has just arrived in Luanda,' Angola's presidency said in a statement posted on Facebook. Bongo's wife, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, and son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, were transferred from prison to house arrest last week, after being detained for over a year on charges of embezzlement, corruption, and money laundering. They had been moved to the family residence in Gabon's capital, Libreville, where Bongo had been staying since his removal from office. Local media earlier reported that the former first lady and her son were under judicial supervision and would be required to cooperate with local authorities pending their trial. Sylvia Bongo was formally detained in October 2023, months after the coup. Her lawyer previously described her detention as 'arbitrary' and 'illegal.' The Bongo family has dominated Gabon's politics for over five decades. Ali Bongo came to power in 2009 following the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled since 1967. Ali Bongo's presidency ended in August 2023 when General Nguema led a military takeover following a disputed election. Authorities accused Sylvia Bongo of exploiting her husband's poor health – resulting from a 2018 stroke - and embezzling public funds with help from key officials. Both she and her son have denied the allegations. The former president staged a hunger strike last year in protest over alleged mistreatment of his family in custody. On April 30, the African Union adopted a resolution calling for the release of Bongo and his family, urging the former French colony's new leadership to uphold their rights and safety. The Gabonese government has not officially commented on what local outlet Gabon Review described as a discreet release and evacuation of the Bongo family to neighboring Angola. President Brice Oligui Nguema – who won last month's election with a sweeping 90.35% of the vote – is also a cousin of Ali Bongo.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Ali Bongo: Gabon's ousted ex-president and family arrive in Angola
Gabon's former President, Ali Bongo, who was deposed in a 2023 coup, has left the country and is now in Angola, the authorities there have Angolan presidency added in a statement posted on social media that Bongo's family had been released from detention and were with him in wife and son, Sylvia and Noureddin, faced corruption charges and had been imprisoned in 2023. They have not yet publicly commented on the charges, however Ms Bongo's lawyer has described her detention as arbitrary and illegal. The family's release comes after Angolan President João Lourenço, who currently heads the African Union, visited Libreville and held talks with his Gabonese counterpart Brice Oligui Nguema - the former general who led the coup against Bongo before being elected president last remains unclear if the legal proceedings against Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo will Bongo, whose father Omar Bongo ruled Gabon for more than four decades, led the country for 14 years until the 2023 his toppling he was placed under house arrest where he reportedly remained, although Gabonese authorities say he was free to move about as he wished. His wife and son were detained in prison and then reportedly released to house arrest last has been vocal in condemning what he described as the "violence and torture" faced by his wife and son, although the authorities had denied subjecting the pair to cruel their 14 years in power, the Bongo family had been accused of accumulating wealth for themselves at the expense of the country - allegations they Gabon being an oil-rich nation, a third of its population lives below the poverty line, according to the UN. More stories from the BBC about Gabon: Who is Ali Bongo?Why Gabon's coup leader is bucking a trend by embracing democracyBrice Oligui Nguema: The coup leader who stormed to election victory Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gabon's ousted president Bongo flies to Angola with family, Angola says
LUANDA (Reuters) - Former Gabon president Ali Bongo, ousted in a coup in 2023, has flown to Angola with his wife and son, who were transferred from prison to house arrest last week, Angola's presidency said in a statement posted on Facebook. African Union officials called last month for the release of Bongo's wife, Sylvia Bongo, 62, and son Noureddin, 33, who were taken into custody shortly after the August 2023 coup and accused of crimes including embezzlement and money laundering. Ali Bongo himself, who is 66, was initially placed under house arrest after the coup though officials later said he was free to move as he wished. His supporters said this was untrue but he is not known to have left Libreville since then. Two sources familiar with the case told Reuters the family had left Gabon before midnight on Thursday. Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo were transferred to house arrest on May 9. They had most recently been held in basement cells in the presidential palace in Libreville, one of the sources familiar with the case said. Their supporters have said they were tortured in custody, though coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema, now serving as president, has denied that. Gabon's communications minister, Paul-Marie Gondjout, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nguema was sworn in for a seven-year term as president this month after winning an election with nearly 95% of the vote. In a meeting on April 30, the African Union's Peace and Security Council readmitted Gabon, whose membership of the AU had been suspended after the coup. In a statement, the council called for the immediate release of Ali Bongo's family and for guarantees that their rights and health would be protected. Bongo had ruled Gabon since 2009, taking over from his father, who died after more than four decades in office.
