Gabon’s ousted ex-president and family arrive in Angola

Gabon’s former President, Ali Bongo, who was deposed in a 2023 coup, has left the country and is now in Angola, the authorities there have announced.

The Angolan presidency added in a statement posted on social media that Bongo’s family had been released from detention and were with him in Luanda.

Bongo’s wife and son, Sylvia and Noureddin, faced corruption charges and had been imprisoned in 2023.

They have not yet publicly commented on the charges, however Ms Bongo’s lawyer has described her detention as arbitrary and illegal.

The family’s release comes after Angolan President João Lourenço, who currently heads the African Union, visited Libreville and held talks with his Gabonese counterpart Brice Oligui Nguema – the former general who led the coup against Bongo before being elected president last month.

It remains unclear if the legal proceedings against Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo will continue.

Ali Bongo, whose father Omar Bongo ruled Gabon for more than four decades, led the country for 14 years until the 2023 coup.

After his toppling he was placed under house arrest where he reportedly remained, although Gabonese authorities say he was free to move about as he wished.

His wife and son were detained in prison and then reportedly released to house arrest last week.

Bongo has been vocal in condemning what he described as the “violence and torture” faced by his wife and son, although the authorities had denied subjecting the pair to cruel treatment.

During their 14 years in power, the Bongo family had been accused of accumulating wealth for themselves at the expense of the country – allegations they deny.

Despite Gabon being an oil-rich nation, a third of its population lives below the poverty line, according to the UN.