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Tag: Gabon

  • ‘Appeal for Support: Help Needed’ – Former Gabonese President Ali Bongo Appeals to International Contacts after Arrest

    ‘Appeal for Support: Help Needed’ – Former Gabonese President Ali Bongo Appeals to International Contacts after Arrest

    By Daniel Edu

    In a recently surfaced video on social media, Ali Bongo, the deposed President of Gabon, is seen appealing to his international allies for assistance in the aftermath of Wednesday’s coup.

    In the brief 51-second video, Bongo confirms his arrest and his separation from his son and wife, both of whom he states are being held at a different location.

    The group responsible for the coup cites severe institutional, political, economic, and social challenges as the reasons behind their action, which they consider a ‘necessary’ step for the advancement of the West African nation.

    Bongo conveys, “I am Ali Bongo Ondimba, the President of Gabon. I am sending out a message to all our friends across the globe, urging them to raise their voices, to create an outcry.”

    Born on February 9, 1959, in Congo-Brazzaville as Alain Bernard Bongo, the 64-year-old assumed the presidency of Gabon in 2009 after the passing of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled the country for nearly 42 years since 1967.

  • Russia Expresses Concern over Situation in Gabon Amidst Coup

    Russia Expresses Concern over Situation in Gabon Amidst Coup

    By Daniel Edu

    Russia has officially conveyed its concerns regarding the unfolding events in Gabon, following the abrupt takeover by the military on Wednesday. The military’s assumption of power took place in the early hours, resulting in the seizure of authority from President Bongo.

    In a statement broadcasted on national television, the coup leaders disclosed that President Bongo had been placed under house arrest, and one of his sons had been detained on charges of treason.

    Addressing the press, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated, “Moscow has received reports of a significant deterioration in the internal situation of the African nation we consider a friend. We are carefully monitoring the evolving scenario and remain optimistic about its swift stabilization.”

    Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, noted that Moscow is maintaining a close watch on the developments unfolding in Gabon.

    As part of its efforts to enhance diplomatic and trade relations with Africa, Russia, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, held a summit with African leaders just last month.

    France Responds to Military Uprising in Gabon

    In response to the military coup that ousted democratically elected President Bongo from power in Gabon, France has issued its reaction. The Prime Minister of France, Elisabeth Borne, conveyed the nation’s vigilant attention towards the unfolding situation in Gabon following the coup.

    The situation in Gabon has attracted international concern, with countries like Russia and France closely monitoring the events as they unfold.

  • First coronavirus cases reported in Kenya, Ghana, Gabon

    First coronavirus cases reported in Kenya, Ghana, Gabon

    Nairobi/Kinshasa, March 13, 2020 Kenya, Ghana, and Gabon, on Friday reported their first confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus.
    In East Africa, Kenya reported one case on Friday, while in West Africa, Ghana reported two cases just as Gabon said it had logged one case.
    This, however, raised the total number of African countries affected by the pandemic to 15.
    According to Kenyan Health Minister, Mutahi Kagwe, the patient is a Kenyan citizen who had recently travelled to the U.S.
    The Gabonese Health Ministry said that the infected person in Gabon was a national who had returned from a trip to Bordeaux, France on March 8.
    The ministry added that Gabonese authorities were in the process of tracing all contacts the patient had since his arrival in the capital, Libreville.
    According to the Ghanaian Health Ministry, both infected individuals returned from Norway and Turkey.
    The Ghanaian Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said that both patients were currently being kept in isolation and were stable.
    “I wish to assure all Ghanaians that the Government of Ghana together with all health partners will continue to work assiduously to ensure the situation is contained,” he said.
    Health Minister Eteni Longondo of Congo, reported the country’s second confirmed case of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, involving a Cameroonian national who lives in the central African country, who travelled to France.
    Congo has already had to contend with an outbreak of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever in its Eastern border region since mid-2018, though the last Ebola patient was discharged from a treatment centre in the city of Beni.
    However, experts had considered Africa to be at high risk in relation to the coronavirus due the continent’s close economic ties with China where the disease outbreak originated in December 2019.
    The continent’s outbreak has so far been limited compared with those in Asia or Europe.
    Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation recorded 129 cases of COVID-19 in 12 of Africa’s 54 countries, with three casualties in Northern Africa, compared to more than 125,000 confirmed cases globally.