Libreville, Gabon | AFP | The oil-rich central African state of Gabon has carried out a string of top-level arrests and reassignments as it ramps up a drive against corruption. Nearly two dozen people, some of them in the inner circle of power, have been ousted from office, arrested or …
Read More »Gabon to be paid $150 million to fight deforestation
Gabon to be first African nation paid to fight deforestation Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon will become the first African country paid with international funds to preserve its forests in an effort to fight climate change, the United Nations said Sunday. Norway will provide Gabon, which is almost 90 …
Read More »Gabon’s sole train a lifeline for its people and economy
Franceville, Gabon | AFP | The sky turns from indigo to ebony as the tropical night falls, and the train patiently thrusts through the jungle towards its destination, still hundreds of kilometres (miles) away. The trek has the hallmarks of one of the world’s Great Forgotten Train Journeys — a …
Read More »Gabon’s Bongo shaky, but ‘firmly in control’ after stroke
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s presidency said Monday that a recent speech showed leader Ali Bongo was “firmly in control” of the country after he suffered a stroke 10 months ago that fuelled speculation about his ability to rule. The opposition has claimed that President Bongo is unfit …
Read More »Gabon’s Bongo re-emerges, attends independence parade
Gabon’s Bongo attends independence parade in rare public appearance Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo on Saturday made a rare public appearance to attend the country’s independence day celebrations, nearly ten months after suffering a stroke that fuelled speculation about his ability to rule. Bongo, whose every …
Read More »‘Mr. Green’: British environmentalist is Gabon’s new forestry minister
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Here’s your new job: You have to protect the country’s precious tropical forests. You have to stop illegal logging and fight the entrenched corruption backed by powerful forces which goes with it. By the way, you are a committed environmentalist — and you are foreign-born. This …
Read More »Gabon’s economic woes arouse nostalgia for Omar Bongo
Franceville, Gabon | AFP | He died a decade ago, but residents of Franceville in southeast Gabon hark back with deep nostalgia to the rule of former president Omar Bongo. His heyday was a time of seemingly endless oil wealth and optimism. But the river of dollars has dried up and …
Read More »Gabon court rejects call for health check of president
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | A Gabonese court has thrown out a bid by opposition activists to force President Ali Bongo Ondimba to have medical checks to see if he is still fit to rule. The court in Libreville rejected the request as “inadmissible”, according to the ruling seen by …
Read More »Gabon president Bongo leaves Morocco to fly home
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Gabon’s ailing President Ali Bongo left Morocco on Monday to fly home days after security forces there foiled an attempted coup, a source close to the leader said. “Doctors have judged that the journey does not present any danger for his health,” the source said, …
Read More »New Gabon government announced from abroad
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s prime minister announced a new government in a video message recorded thousands of miles away in Morocco, where ailing Gabonese President Ali Bongo is recovering from a stroke. Recently appointed PM Julien Nkoghe Bekale gave details of the reshuffle in footage broadcast late Saturday …
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