Ali Bongo Ondimba Announces Retirement from Politics, Calls for Release of Family Members

Last updated on September 22nd, 2024 at 09:38 pm

The former President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, overthrown last August by a coup, has just made an important declaration in an open letter to the Gabonese people. The letter contained his final retirement from politics, while he requested the release of his wife, Sylvia, and his son, Noureddin Bongo, who have been detained and indicted since the fall of the Bongo dynasty. He used the term “emprisonnement” to refer to their detention, where they served as “scapegoats” in a situation where their guilt is yet to be proved.

Bongo expressed profound regrets for “inadequacies on the social and institutional level” while he was in office and fully took upon himself the responsibility of the problems of Gabon during his regime. However, he still persisted in arguing that the persecution of his family through the courts was unfair, since neither his wife nor son had been condemned for anything.

The former president’s appeal for “national reconciliation” comes when public opinion is divided. In Libreville, residents reacted differently: some are skeptical of such a declaration of repentance by Bongo:. The content of his letter is not sincere. If he was really serious, he would request the release of some of the people he put in prison during his presidency.” Others cite their Christian faith as a reason for forgiveness, but they say that it is not an easy decision.

Tribunal Hearings Against the Bongo Family

The situation remains legally precarious for Bongo’s family. The 61-year-old ex-First Lady Sylvia Bongo has several indictments against her for money laundering, forgery, and fraud. Charges against the eldest son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, include corruption and embezzlement; a few former ministers and two ex-ministers are also facing charges. Incidentally, no case was ever filed against Ali Bongo himself.

But the former president has maintained that he was not free to come and go as he pleased, contrary to what the junta had earlier indicated. Bongo maintains that his visitors are heavily policed by military officers and that he was yet to receive any information concerning the well-being of his family members.

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Public Reaction and National Debate

The public appeal by the former leader has elicited a spectrum of reactions. Africanews correspondent Géraud Wilfried Obangome reports that many in Gabon are questioning the true intentions of Bongo. “Most Gabonese wonder why he only advocates for the release of his wife and son, while neglecting the fate of others who were once close to the family and now find themselves in jail, or the political prisoners jailed under his regime.”

While the appeal for reconciliation by the former president has resonated with some, wider debate at the national level revolves around how Gabon is to move forward without addressing broader issues of justice, accountability, and transparency.