2024-04-23 09:40:01
Ali Bongo Ondimba, the former Gabonese president overthrown in a coup in August 2023, is currently in critical condition in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital. According to exclusive information obtained by 237online.com, he was admitted urgently to a posh clinic in the Bastos district. News which raises many questions about its future and that of Gabon, almost a year after its fall.
Bastos, last refuge of a fallen president
This is information that risks having the effect of a bomb in African chancelleries. Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, is currently hospitalized in an ultra-select private clinic in Yaoundé, known for welcoming high-profile personalities. Located in the wealthy district of Bastos, a true sanctuary for the political and economic elites, this establishment would have become the last refuge of the former strongman of Libreville, whose state of health raises the greatest concerns.
A stroke in 2018, first sign of fragility
If the details of his illness remain secret, the fact remains that Ali Bongo had already been weakened by a stroke in October 2018. An episode which had shaken his power and sparked numerous speculations about his ability to govern. Although weakened, he managed to remain at the head of Gabon, not without difficulty. But this new emergency hospitalization suggests an alarming deterioration in his condition.
The coup d’état of August 30, 2023, the beginning of the end
Ali Bongo’s fall was as sudden as it was spectacular. On August 30, 2023, a group of officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema announced his dismissal, ending 14 years of unchallenged rule by the Bongo dynasty over Gabon. A putsch which took the international community by surprise and reshuffled the cards in this former French colony, among the richest and most stable in Central Africa. Since then, Ali Bongo has lived in exile, far from the gold of the presidential palace.
Brice Oligui Nguema, the new strong man of Libreville
In Gabon, it is now General Brice Oligui Nguema who holds the reins of power. This officer, until then little known to the general public, has established himself as the new strong man of Libreville, at the head of a military junta which promises a return to constitutional order within three years. But in this country where power is often won by force of arms, there is no guarantee that this transition will be a smooth river. The hospitalization of Ali Bongo could reshuffle the cards and revive clan struggles.