FEATURE | Alice Aterianus-Owanga | In Gabon as in other African states, rap has become instrumental in constructing political identity. On August 17, Gabon celebrated 57 years of independence with a massive free concert in the capital, Libreville. The aim: to promote national unity in a festive fashion. An impressive …
Read More »Danes stabbed in Gabon had been stalked: prosecutor
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | A grocer from Niger who knifed a Danish couple in Gabon shouting “Allahu akbar” came to the capital just two days before the attack and had been stalking the pair, a prosecutor said Monday. Saturday’s attack on the Danes, who were in the west African …
Read More »Gabon arrests dozens in knife attack that wounded two Danes
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Police in Gabon arrested dozens of people Sunday over a knife attack that wounded two Danish nationals working for National Geographic, apparently in retribution for “US attacks against Muslims,” officials said. The men detained were mostly traders and sellers in the popular market in Libreville …
Read More »Ping slams proposed changes to Gabon constitution as ‘autocratic’
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping on Saturday said he would try to scuttle proposed changes to the country’s constitution, describing draft changes as “autocratic” and liable to violate the principle of separation of powers. “We must thwart this constitutional revision,” Ping told a crowd of supporters …
Read More »Gabon president wins libel case against French author
Paris, France | AFP | A Paris court on Thursday fined French journalist and writer Pierre Pean 1,000 euros ($1,170) and ordered him to pay a symbolic one euro in damages in a libel case brought by Gabonese President Ali Bongo. In a 2014 book called “Nouvelles affaires africaines” (“New African …
Read More »Gabon bans opposition leaders from leaving the country
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon on Sunday announced a ban on opposition leaders, including former top African Union official Jean Ping, from leaving the country in what it said was a “temporary, administrative measure”. “This measure follows inflammatory comments by Jean Ping on August 18 when he called for …
Read More »France calls off probe into Gabon, Equatorial Guinea elite’s wealth
Paris, France | AFP | French judges have ended their investigation into the substantial assets of Gabon’s late president Omar Bongo and his family, none of whom have been charged, sources close to the case said Wednesday. French prosecutors have been investigating since 2010 whether the fortunes amassed in France …
Read More »Ten hurt as Gabon police end rally for opposition figure
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Ten people were injured in Libreville Tuesday as Gabon police broke up a rally organised to mark the return of opposition leader Jean Ping following a trip to Europe. The interior ministry said there were “no deaths and no injuries” during the demonstration, according to …
Read More »Who are the 3 African leaders who will sue Transparency over corruption case?
Bata, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | The leaders of the oil-rich African nations of Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo will sue Transparency International over a case in France involving allegedly ill-gotten properties worth hundreds of millions, President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea has said. French human rights lawyer William Bourdon …
Read More »Gabon probes threats to leader before ICC visit
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon authorities said Saturday that they were investigating threats by a critic of President Ali Bongo, including an ultimatum to step down before the arrival of an International Criminal Court team next week. The threats included a warning that government buildings had been set with …
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