Gabon’s ousted former President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been released from house arrest and has arrived in Luanda with his family, Angola’s presidency announced Friday.
Bongo, who was deposed in an August 2023 coup after his family’s 55-year grip on power, had been held in the capital, Libreville. His wife and son, also detained, faced accusations of embezzling public funds.
The Angolan presidency confirmed their arrival in Luanda via a Facebook statement, sharing photos of Bongo being received at the airport.
“The Bongo family has been released and has just arrived in Luanda,” the statement said.
The family’s release followed talks between Angolan President Joao Lourenco and Gabon's new leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the statement added, without providing further details.
Oligui, a former junta leader, seized power in the oil-rich country in the August 2023 coup that ended the Bongo dynasty's 55-year reign.
The general was sworn in earlier this month after winning 94.85% of the vote in an April 12 election, which international observers said showed no major irregularities.
Oligui’s main rival, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze – the final prime minister under Bongo – said the family's release showed that their detention "did not respect the framework of law and justice."
“President Oligui Nguema did not show clemency; he had to bow to international demands after what everyone understood to be an abuse of power,” he said.
Lawyers for Bongo’s French-born wife, Sylvia, 62, and son, Noureddin, 33, alleged they were tortured while in detention.
Several Gabonese media outlets recently reported that the two had been moved from cells in a presidential annex to a family residence in Libreville.
Geoffroy Foumboula Libeka, a member of the transitional parliament, said the family’s nighttime relocation “in total silence” was “a real disgrace for the first days” of the new government.
“Where is Gabon’s sovereignty?” he posted on social media, claiming the family’s release was “the price to pay” for Gabon’s reintegration into the African Union, currently chaired by Lourenco.
The African Union announced on April 30 that it had lifted sanctions against Gabon, which had been suspended from the organization following the coup.
The country of 2.3 million people has struggled with high unemployment, frequent power and water cuts, and mounting public debt – despite its vast oil wealth.
The Gabonese presidency said on social media on May 12 that Lourenco met with Oligui in Libreville for talks focused on “strengthening bilateral cooperation and ensuring the smooth running of democratic elections” to mark the end of Gabon's political transition.
They also discussed the lifting of AU sanctions following Gabon’s reintegration.
Bongo, 66, who is believed to be in poor health, came to power in 2009, succeeding his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled for 41 years.
He narrowly won a second term in 2016, defeating opposition leader Jean Ping by a few thousand votes in a disputed election marked by violence and allegations of fraud.
Bongo suffered a stroke in October 2018 while visiting Saudi Arabia, fueling speculation about his health and ability to govern. His public appearances became increasingly rare, and he seldom spoke live outside the presidential palace.
He ruled for 14 years until he was overthrown just moments after being declared the winner of a presidential election the army and opposition both labeled fraudulent.
