Gabonese leader Ali Bongo Ondimba was more admired abroad than at home
Hailed as a climate visionary, Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba was welcomed at Buckingham Palace but was blindsided by the coup of this week.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As the all-powerful ruler of oil-rich Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba had two passions, music and forests, which forged ties powerful throughout the world.An accomplished musician, Mr. Bongo recorded a disco-funk album and attracted James Brown and Michael Jackson to Gabon. As president, he built a music studio in his seaside palace and played improvised jazz to foreign diplomats at state dinners.
More recently, Mr. Bongo has allied himself with Western scientists and environmentalists. , fascinated both by the heavenly beauty of Gabon, a country the size of Arizona covered in lush rainforest and teeming with wildlife, and by his commitment to protecting it.
But to his own people, Mr. Bongo, 64, embodied a family dynasty, founded by his father, who had ruled Gabon for 56 years — until this week, when it broke. collapsed.
Military officers seized power on Wednesday, hours after election officials declared Mr Bongo the winner of a disputed election last weekend . Few people saw it coming, especially the president. When his own guards came for him, Mr. Bongo looked genuinely baffled.
"I don't know what's going on," Bongo said, speaking from home, in a video authenticated and released by some of his many Western advisers. "I call on you to make some noise."
It was the latest in a wave of military takeovers of African countries, toppling weak governments. (“Already a coup,” said an analyst from Sudan, which experienced its own coup in 2021.) But while other power grabs have been prompted by violent upheaval, in the peaceful Pacific , it was something else: a sign that the Bongo regime, which held out for half a century, had run its course.
There was no Mr. Bongo's sign on Thursday, a day after his plaintive plea for help. Putschist General Brice Oligui Nguema — a cousin of Mr. Bongo — announced that he would be sworn in as "transitional president" next Monday.
Others African leaders, fearing they might be next, took precautions. In neighboring Cameroon, President Paul Biya - in power for 40 years and, at 90, the world's longest-serving leader - has announced a sudden reshuffle in his country's military leadership. The same was true for Rwanda, which, like Gabon, was ruled for decades by one man.
While the fate of Mr. Bongo was at stake, reactions diverged. Foreign conservationists have expressed concern about the future of a country that has worked so hard to preserve its pristine forests and seas. Recently, Gabon negotiated a landmark $500 million debt refinancing deal, which freed up $163 million for marine protection.
Hailed as a climate visionary, Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba was welcomed at Buckingham Palace but was blindsided by the coup of this week.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As the all-powerful ruler of oil-rich Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba had two passions, music and forests, which forged ties powerful throughout the world.An accomplished musician, Mr. Bongo recorded a disco-funk album and attracted James Brown and Michael Jackson to Gabon. As president, he built a music studio in his seaside palace and played improvised jazz to foreign diplomats at state dinners.
More recently, Mr. Bongo has allied himself with Western scientists and environmentalists. , fascinated both by the heavenly beauty of Gabon, a country the size of Arizona covered in lush rainforest and teeming with wildlife, and by his commitment to protecting it.
But to his own people, Mr. Bongo, 64, embodied a family dynasty, founded by his father, who had ruled Gabon for 56 years — until this week, when it broke. collapsed.
Military officers seized power on Wednesday, hours after election officials declared Mr Bongo the winner of a disputed election last weekend . Few people saw it coming, especially the president. When his own guards came for him, Mr. Bongo looked genuinely baffled.
"I don't know what's going on," Bongo said, speaking from home, in a video authenticated and released by some of his many Western advisers. "I call on you to make some noise."
It was the latest in a wave of military takeovers of African countries, toppling weak governments. (“Already a coup,” said an analyst from Sudan, which experienced its own coup in 2021.) But while other power grabs have been prompted by violent upheaval, in the peaceful Pacific , it was something else: a sign that the Bongo regime, which held out for half a century, had run its course.
There was no Mr. Bongo's sign on Thursday, a day after his plaintive plea for help. Putschist General Brice Oligui Nguema — a cousin of Mr. Bongo — announced that he would be sworn in as "transitional president" next Monday.
Others African leaders, fearing they might be next, took precautions. In neighboring Cameroon, President Paul Biya - in power for 40 years and, at 90, the world's longest-serving leader - has announced a sudden reshuffle in his country's military leadership. The same was true for Rwanda, which, like Gabon, was ruled for decades by one man.
While the fate of Mr. Bongo was at stake, reactions diverged. Foreign conservationists have expressed concern about the future of a country that has worked so hard to preserve its pristine forests and seas. Recently, Gabon negotiated a landmark $500 million debt refinancing deal, which freed up $163 million for marine protection.
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