General Oligui Nguema, a pleasant putschist in Paris | EUROtoday

In the big household of putschists who’ve taken energy in French-speaking Africa in recent times, Brice Oligui Nguema, 49, holds a particular place within the eyes of Paris. Unlike the troopers on the head of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, with whom diplomatic relations are execrable, the transitional president of Gabon is a person thought of acceptable. Tuesday May 28, seven months after overthrowing his cousin, Ali Bongo Ondimba, he should start within the night a five-day official go to to France with, as a spotlight, a gathering on Friday with Emmanuel Macron on the Elysée, the place he will probably be obtained with navy honors.

The reception, like a “normal” president, of this putschist is consistent with the particular therapy that France has reserved for him since taking energy on August 30, 2023. After the standard condemnation of the coup The state which occurred simply hours after the contested re-election of Ali Bongo, Paris didn’t advocate the imposition of any sanctions, opposite to its line towards nations within the Sahel, notably in the direction of Niger, the place President Mohamed Bazoum had been overthrown a month earlier. Conversely, the brand new Gabonese president has by no means been virulent in the direction of the previous colonial energy. From December, MM. Macron and Oligui additionally spoke on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai.

“A methodical man”

Paris refutes upfront the accusation of a ” Two weights, two measures “and highlights the variations between the Sahelian and Gabonese conditions. “All putschists are not equal”, explains a French elected official. “Since August 30, no tricolor flag has been burned in Gabon. Furthermore, there is a major difference in this junta: it is committed to respecting the transition timetable and is moving forward very quickly. The inclusive national dialogue was held. Work on the Constitution is underway. President Oligui is a methodical man. He does what he says and keeps his promises. »

The fall of Ali Bongo, who succeeded his father in 2009, was actually experienced with a certain indifference in Paris. While Libreville was one of the strongholds of “Françafrique” underneath the forty-one yr reign of Omar Bongo, relations between the 2 nations continued to weaken underneath the “son” regime. Criticism of the governance of the previous Gabonese head of state after which the opening of directions towards the household's “ill-gotten gains” in France had even pushed Ali Bongo to affix the Commonwealth in 2022. The The destiny of the deposed president, who nonetheless lives underneath home arrest and is on starvation strike to protest towards the situations of detention of his spouse Sylvia and his son Nourredine, has not provoked an official response from France.

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