Gabon’s Ousted President Ali Bongo Flies to Angola...

Gabon’s Ousted President Ali Bongo Flies to Angola with Family

Zim Now Writer

Former Gabonese president Ali Bongo, who was overthrown in a 2023 military coup, left the country and flown to Angola with his wife Sylvia and son Noureddin.

The family’s departure comes shortly after Sylvia, 62, and Noureddin, 33, were transferred from prison to house arrest on May 9. They had been in custody since shortly after the coup and were facing charges including embezzlement and money laundering.

Two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that the Bongo family left Gabon late Thursday night, just before midnight. The same sources said Sylvia and Noureddin were previously held in basement cells at the presidential palace in Libreville.

Ali Bongo, 66, was initially placed under house arrest following the August 2023 coup, but authorities later claimed he was free to move about. His supporters disputed that claim, noting he had not been seen outside Libreville since the coup.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council had called on April 30 for the immediate release of the Bongo family, urging that their rights and health be safeguarded. The AU also readmitted Gabon into the bloc following its suspension in the wake of the coup.

Supporters of Sylvia and Noureddin allege that they were tortured while in custody—a claim strongly denied by coup leader and current president Brice Oligui Nguema.

Ali Bongo came to power in 2009, succeeding his father Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon for more than 40 years. The Bongo family's decades-long grip on power ended with the 2023 coup, a move that was broadly welcomed by opposition figures and segments of the public.

President Nguema, who led the coup, was officially sworn in this month for a seven-year term after securing a landslide electoral victory with nearly 95% of the vote. However, the fairness and credibility of that election remain under scrutiny.

Gabon’s communications minister, Paul-Marie Gondjout, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.