Africa

Ambazoniagate: Nigeria Federal judge to open hearing against National Security Adviser

16, January 2019

Ambazoniagate: Nigeria Federal judge to open hearing against National Security Adviser 0

A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu will on the 21st January, 2019 open hearing in the matter between Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and nine others against the National Security Adviser and Attorney General of the Federation of Nigeria, for the enforcement of their Fundamental Rights to:

  1. Life
  2. Personal liberty
  3. Freedom of Movement
  4. Dignity of their human person
  5. Right to private life.

This application was brought after their abduction at NERA Hotel, Alex Ekwueme Street, Jabi, Abuja. Pursuant to Section 33, 31, 35, 36, 37, 40 and 46(1)(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as Amended and Order XI and Order XII of the Fundamental Right (Enforcement Provedure) Rules 2009.

This action is supported by an affidavit deposed to by Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He is supported by Abdul Oroh,Esq, four lawyers from Cameroon Bar, three of whom were called to the Nigerian Bar are espected to join their Nigerian colleagues at the hearing. The Respondents i.e. the National Security Adviser, Major General Mohammed Monguno and the Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, SAN have objected to the suit claiming that “it discloses no cause of action”
Justice Ojukwu would also hear another action brought by the NERA10 seeking a declaration that their deportation to Cameroon by Nigerian Security Forces at the behest of General Monguno was illegal, unjust, and a violation of their rights to live in Nigeria as refugees and protected by Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right and United Nations Convention on the status of Refugees.

The NERA10 are asking the judge in the first suit to order that they

1.be released from Cameroonian incarceration and compensated for their sufferings and inhuman and degrading treatments suffered in the hand of Nigeria and Cameroonian soldiers during the deportation.

  1. Return to Nigeria to join their families and in safety under extant laws of Nigeria and International conventions ratified by Nigeria.

Hon Abdul Oroh.
Abdul Oroh and co
Legal Practice
Suite A62 Efab Mall Area11 Ahmadu Bello Way Garki Abuja Federal Capital Territory FCT
Nigeria.
abdulorohandcompany@gmail.com

16, January 2019

Deadly Nairobi Hotel Attack Under Control 0

The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for Tuesday’s terrorist attack on a hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya.

Police say at least 15 people were killed and a still undetermined number wounded. One report says an American and a British citizen are among the dead.

Kenya’s Interior Minister Fred Matiang’i says the country is safe and the situation under control. But gunshots could still be heard several hours after he made that pronouncement.

The attack on the DusitD2 complex began in mid-afternoon with an explosion outside a bank and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby.

Map of Dusit, D2 Hotel in Nairobi Kenya
Map of Dusit, D2 Hotel in Nairobi Kenya

Four gunmen could be seen on surveillance video walking through the parking lot with at least one stopping to open fire.

Terrified office and hotel workers and guests ran for cover, streaming from the buildings, climbing out of windows, ducking behind police vehicles and anything they could find while gunfire echoed off the walls.

Police found a sad and grisly scene inside one of the restaurants — wounded and dead diners at their tables, slumped over unfinished meals.

Other witnesses say they found human limbs lying on the ground.

Witness Duran Farah told VOA he and some colleagues were entering the complex at the time of the attack.

“A loud explosion happened at the gate. Next there was shooting, an exchange of fire, a lot of fire, and we see people rushing and running around in every direction,” he said. He and his friends escaped by running down an alleyway.

Cars are seen on fire at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2019.
Cars are seen on fire at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2019.

The DusitD2 hotel and shops are in an upscale Nairobi neighborhood popular with American, European, and Indian tourists, although exactly who was targeted and why is unclear.

The militant Islamic Al-Shabab staged several previous attacks in Kenya, including the September 2013 assault on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall that left 67 dead.

The militants targeted Kenya after Kenyan forces entered Somalia in 2011 with al-Shabab as their target.

Rescuers and journalists evacuate an injured man from the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019.
Rescuers and journalists evacuate an injured man from the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019.

Tuesday’s attack comes one day after a Nairobi court said three men accused aiding the Westgate attack will be put on trial.

A State Department spokesperson tells VOA the U.S. embassy in Nairobi is closely watching the situation and “has actively offered assistance to local authorities.”

VOA

Kenya: Blast, gunfire reported at upscale hotel complex in Nairobi

15, January 2019

Kenya: Blast, gunfire reported at upscale hotel complex in Nairobi 0

Gunmen attacked an upscale hotel complex in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the neighbourhood. At least one person was killed and eight others were injured in the attack, hospital officials said. An AFP reporter said the death toll was at least five. Al Shabaab – the Somalia-based extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead – claimed responsibility for the assault and said its members were still fighting inside.

Kenya police chief Joseph Boinnet told reporters armed assailants could still be in the building and the police operation was ongoing. The complex in Nairobi’s Westlands neighborhood includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, along with banks and offices. Several vehicles burned. People were rushed, some carried, from the scene. At least one was on a stretcher. Some ducked behind cars, screaming. Others appeared to take cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex. “It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible. I have seen a human as I ran out and there is what looks like minced meat all over,” said one man who said he ran from the scene, Charles Njenga. Another man, who did not give his name, said he hid in an office. “I have been hiding. My colleagues were running everywhere,” he said, breathing heavily.

Embedded video

Another witness, Robert Murire, said he saw at least two bodies at the scene, along with attackers wearing green and wrapped in ammunition. It was not clear how many attackers took part. Gunfire continued several minutes after the first reports as ambulances, security forces and firefighters rushed to the scene. Black smoke rose from the complex. A bomb disposal unit arrived, and vehicles were cordoned off for fear they contained explosives. Police said they detonated a car that had explosives inside.

An unexploded grenade was also seen in a hallway at the complex. What appeared to be plainclothes security forces inched their way toward the scene, guns in hand. “We have sent officers to the scene, including from the anti-terrorism unit, but so far we have no more information,” police spokesman Charles Owino said.

A large group of women were hurried out by security forces, one woman still in curlers. Dozens of others were hurried away as plainclothes officers went shop to shop in the complex. Some people held up their hands to show they were unarmed. Al Shabaab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al Qaeda-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, which has been targeted more than any other of the six countries providing troops to an African Union force in Somalia.

The attack immediately reminded many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack, when al Shabaab extremists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege. The hotel complex under attack is less than 2 kilometers from Westgate Mall and is in what is considered one of the most secure areas of the city. It lies on a relatively quiet, tree-lined road near a main avenue. Its website says it is “cocooned away from the hustle and bustle in a secure and peaceful haven.” The attack came three years to the day after al Shabaab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

15, January 2019

International Criminal Court: Laurent Gbagbo, the strongman who refused to let go 0

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo of crimes against humanity, marking the latest dramatic twist in the career of one of West Africa’s most divisive politicians. After seven years behind bars in The Hague, Gbagbo, 73, was cleared of crimes committed following a disputed presidential election in 2010. More than 3,000 people were killed in the cocoa-producing nation after he refused to accept defeat by his rival Alassane Ouattara, Ivory Coast’s current president. Gbagbo, a onetime socialist and labour activist, was the first former head of state to stand trial at the ICC. The judges’ ruling means he will now be released from jail – a familiar routine for a man who spent decades battling power-hungry strongmen, only to become one himself. The opponent Gbagbo, then a university lecturer with a PhD in history, was first jailed for “subversive” teaching in 1971, during the rule of Ivory Coast’s independence leader, president Houphouet-Boigny. The man nicknamed “Cicero”, because of his taste for Latin, would be among the first to defy Houphouet-Boigny, first as a trade union activist and then as a left-wing politician. A skilled orator whose affable manners concealed a ferocious determination, Gbagbo sought exile in Paris in 1982, cultivating ties with prominent socialist figures in France – ties that would endure during later crises with the former colonial power. He founded the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) in exile, returning only in 1988 to attend its founding congress. Further stints in jail would soon follow.

Laurent Gbagbo, leader of the opposition Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), gives a press conference on August 1992 in Abidjan, shortly after his release from jail. Issouf Sanogo, AFP

His first shot at the presidency, in 1990, ended in crushing defeat to Houphouet-Boigny, then in his seventh term, though it cemented Gbagbo’s position as opposition leader. Two years later he was again jailed for his part in student protests against the government of prime minister Alassane Ouattara. The two would meet again. In 1993, the rise to power of Henri Konan Bédié coincided with mounting xenophobia in Ivory Coast, instigated by the notion of “Ivoirité” (Ivorianness), and Gbagbo was accused of jumping on the nationalist bandwagon too. Ivoirité paid dividends in 2000 when Gbagbo won a disputed presidential election in which Ouattara, a Muslim whose nationality was disputed, was barred from running.

Laurent Gbagbo smiles as he his sworn as Ivory Coast’s new president on October 26, 2000. Issouf Sanogo, AFP

Civil war Gbagbo’s decade in power was marked by years of civil war, triggered by a failed coup in October 2002 that resulted in rebels seizing the country’s mainly Muslim north. His supporters, notably the Young Patriots that policed the streets, were accused of carrying out xenophobic attacks against northerners and foreigners. As the war dragged on, Gbagbo’s camp became increasingly frustrated with a peacekeeping force deployed by France, which it accused of undermining the country’s unity. The anger boiled over in 2004 after nine French soldiers were killed in an Ivorian air strike against rebels, prompting France to destroy the country’s air force in retaliatory attacks. Gbagbo supporters vented their fury at French expatriates, forcing Paris to hurriedly evacuate some 8,000 people.

President Laurent Gbagbo meets his French counterpart Jacques Chirac at the Elysée palace in Paris in February 2004. Patrick Kovarik, AFP

As Gbagbo’s first term drew to a close in 2005, elections were repeatedly delayed, with postponements blamed on logistical failings and a row over eligibility to vote, centered on the question of who was and who wasn’t Ivorian. Unable to recapture the north militarily, Gbagbo signed a peace and power-sharing arrangement in March 2007 with rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who later became his prime minister. Three years later, the president and opposition leaders finally agreed to hold elections, which soon shaped up into a showdown between old rivals Gbagbo and Ouattara.

Gbagbo shakes hands with rebel chief Guillaume Soro (right) and Burkina Faso leader Blaise Compaore (centre) in March 2007 before signing a peace deal to end years of civil war. Issouf Sanogo, AFP

A bloody denouement In December 2010, Ouattara was declared the winner of a run-off vote, only for the Constitutional Court, controlled by Gbagbo supporters, to overturn the verdict 24 hours later. The ensuing power struggle would bring further bloodshed to the war-scarred nation, until Ouattara’s forces, backed by French troops, stormed the president’s compound in April 2011.

Gbagbo and his wife Simone are under arrest in their Abidjan residence on April 11, 2011. AFP file photo

Later that year, the ICC opened an investigation into the violence and charged Gbagbo with four crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and rape. He adamantly denied the charges, saying: “All my life, I fought for democracy.” Gbagbo maintained a strong following even while in jail, and news of his acquittal prompted celebrations in his Ivorian hometown of Gagnoa and other former bastions. His release comes just months after his wife Simone also walked free. Sentenced to 20 years in jail by a local court, the former “Iron Lady” of Ivory Coast was granted an amnesty by Ouattara after seven years in detention.

Source: France24

President Ali Bongo returns to Gabon

15, January 2019

President Ali Bongo returns to Gabon 0

President Ali Bongo returned to Gabon on Monday after a three-month medical leave during which a coup attempt was thwarted, two government sources told Reuters.

His return comes a week after a small military group took over the state radio station. The move to grab power was quickly halted but exposed growing frustration in the oil-producing country over Bongo’s secretive absence.

Bongo suffered the stroke during a conference in Saudi Arabia in October and was flown to Morocco in November for treatment.

He has appeared in television clips in recent weeks, including a New Year’s address in which he slurred his speech and appeared unable to move his right arm. It is not clear if he can walk.

Bongo appointed a new government on Saturday in an apparent effort to shore up his political base, including the nomination of Julien Nkoghe Bekale as prime minister.

The new government will be sworn in in Bongo’s presence on Tuesday, the two sources said. The media will not be allowed to attend.

The Bongo family has ruled Gabon for over 50 years. Ali Bongo took over upon his father Omar’s death in 2009. Ali Bongo won re-election in 2016 by fewer than 6,000 votes amid widespread accusations of fraud, sparking deadly clashes between protesters and police during which the parliament was torched.

REUTERS

Southern Cameroons refugees say Akwa Ibom State churches, residents covered ‘our nakedness’

8, January 2019

Southern Cameroons refugees say Akwa Ibom State churches, residents covered ‘our nakedness’ 0

SOUTHERN Cameroonians currently taking refuge in Akwa Ibom State after fleeing from the lingering crisis in their country, have expressed appreciation to Akwa Ibom people, particularly churches, for providing shelter, clothing, and food for them.  The refugees, who spoke to NDV during the presentation of clothing materials and other items to them by the Lutheran Church of Nigeria, Anua Offot community, Uyo, said they would remain grateful to the different churches that decided to accommodate and support them in their hopeless situation.

Army killed my mother, my children’s whereabouts unknown- Epolle Speaking, a widow and representative of the refugees in the state, Mrs. Agnes Epolle,  said: “I am a refugee from Southern Cameroon  and I  have stayed in Akwa Ibom for more than one year. “What this church has done today is to help us cover our nakedness. And I cannot express enough thanks to them for the support the members have given to us. I can only pray that the good God help me to reward them. I pray God to reward those that have reached out to us to feed us and cover our nakedness. “When I ran away from Cameroon, I lost contact with my family, because people were running for safety. I left my children in the custody of my mother, but I learnt that the Army came and killed my mother and burnt down the house. Although I feel at home here in Akwa Ibom, but part of me is not here because I do not know the fate of my children.”

Similarly, Mrs. Itah Sone, also from Southern region of Cameroon said: “Since we came here to Akwa Ibom, some churches have been assisting us. Right now, we do not have a particular area where we are living. For now, churches and some people, who know some of us over there in Cameroon; have shown us love by providing us accommodation. “There was a time some of us were disturbed by immigration. But I am happy that the UN came in and addressed that challenge. The UN came to identify us and register us and that is why we can now move freely and look for something to do to earn a living. We are also appealing to Akwa Ibom State Government to give us a place where we can stay together until the crises in our country is over because we are scattered all over the state,” she said.

Also, Mr. Emmanuel Malete, said he had been in the state for more than five months, he, however, lamented that he is finding it difficult to get a job to do to be able to feed and take care of his wife and four children. “Life has not been easy for me and my family. It is difficult to get a job that can fetch you N2000 a day. We are grateful to God for using the church to provide for the needy and helpless,” he lamented. Why we decided to lend a hand – Elder Jacob Presenting the items to the representatives of the refugees, Chairman of the Church, Elder Emmanuel Jacob, decried the killings and wars that displaced families all over the world, saying that the gesture by the church was borne out of the desire and passion to lend helping hand to helpless victims of such unfortunate circumstances. “As a Lutheran Church family in Anua Offot, we have been doing this in our little way to support this kind of people.  It can happen to anybody, which is why when we heard about their plight, as a church, we agreed to support them in our own small way. We do not have much to offer them, but we believe that the little we are giving will go a long way to help. “Nothing is too small or too big. If we had more, we would have done more. We pray that God will support you and in whatever you do, God will never depart from you. I appreciate members of the church for the kind heart, and passion in giving to those in need. The items are clothes, shoes for men, women and children and toiletries”, he stated.

www.vanguardngr.com

Ambazoniagate: Barrister Nalova speaks of the NERA 10 and the Abuja abduction

8, January 2019

Ambazoniagate: Barrister Nalova speaks of the NERA 10 and the Abuja abduction 0

My name is Nsoh Nalova Bih, I was 1 of the 12 Ambazonian activists who gathered at the Nera Hotel in Abuja on January 5, 2018. Here is MY STORY on how we were abducted, why I was not taken to Cameroon with the Nera10 to face bogus terrorism charges

On that fateful day, we had gathered in Abuja to discuss the growing refugee crisis in the Cross River State of Nigeria caused by the war that President Biya had declared on the people of Southern Cameroons.

The group consisted of Profs, Lawyers, Teachers: Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, Prof. Awasum Augustin, Dr Henry Kimeng, Deacon Tassang Wilfred, Dr. Fidelis Ndeh-Che, Dr Conerlius Kwanga, Dr Ogork Ntui, Eyambe Elias, SHUFAI Bliase, Nfor Ngalla Nfor, Dr OJONG & myself.

We had barely settled downed when a group of unidentified heavily armed men appeared, handcuffed and blindfolded us, and took us to an unknown destination. All i could remember was that we drove for hours.

When we arrived at our destination, all I can remember is that I was still with the 11 others. Our abductors then took us from the car, one after the other. I was searched & taken to a cell. This was a Friday.

On Monday morning, a girl walked in and blindfolded me then took me to a dark room where I was questioned. I refused to answer. I was fingerprinted, and my picture taken.

Two wks later, I was once again blindfolded and taken to a car where I realized that I was with the other 11 male ACTIVISTS. I knew who they were despite the blindfold because I recognized them from their voices.

When we got to our destination, we were told to remove our blindfolds, which we did. We were then ushered into a building which turned out to be the offices of UNHCR Nigeria. This was on January 18, 2018.

Being at the UNHCR was a huge relief given that 4 of the abducted activists were legally recognized Refugees in Nigeria, while 6 others had their applications pending, the coming of the UNHCR was a relief.

Nigeria assured us that they were working with the Nigeria government to secure our release. This was the first confirmation that the Nigerian government was behind our abduction, although we still did not know why.

On Jan 25, 2018, at about 4pm, I was again blindfolded and taken to a car where I heard the voices of my friends again. We drove for quite a while before getting to our destination.

Upon arrival, we were asked to remove our blindfolds & behave. Only then did we realize we were on our way to Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl. Airport, Abuja. When Sisiku Ayuk asked where we were going, we were told “back home”. We didn’t know what home meant.

When we got to the airport, a Cameroun military plane was waiting for us. We realized we’d been abducted by military & held by the Defence Intelligence Agency. How could we fight back? They were heavily armed & looked ready to shoot anyone who resisted.

When we were ordered to board the plane, Dr. Ojong objected saying 2 among the 12 activists were of Nigerian descent, that is, he and myself. The BIR officers alighted from the plane and insisted that they had come to pick up 12 not 10 of them.

After hours of discussions, 2 of us were finally left behind while the 10 others boarded the plane. The Nigerian govt had just violated its own laws, while unhcrnigeria had failed in its mission to protect the vulnerable asylum seekers.

Dr. Ojong and I were taken back to the DIA and locked up until Feb. 20, 2018 when we were finally transferred to Asokoro police station.

On Feb. 25, 2018, I had a miscarriage while in detention. I was 3 months & 2 weeks pregnant. It was due to this miscarriage that I was granted bail on a 1-million-naira bond and had to be reporting to a Police Station.

Our abduction & the forcible/illegal transfer of 10 of us to Cameroon was a watershed moment that violated Nigerian law, international refugee law, & basic human rights. This travesty must be corrected with #Justice4Nera10 via their immediate and unconditional release

7, January 2019

Gabon says Libreville calm after military coup attempt 0

The government in Gabon says calm has returned to the capital Libreville hours after a group of military officers launched a coup attempt in the absence of ailing President Ali Bongo.

Government spokesman Guy-Bertrand Mapangou told AFP on Monday that most of the army rebels, who had earlier in the day seized the national radio station and called for a public uprising, had been arrested.

“Calm has returned, the situation is under control,” he said.

Gunshots were heard around the headquarters of the national TV station at 6:00 a.m. local time (0530 GMT) around the same time a person, who identified himself as Lieutenant Ondo Obiang Kelly, the deputy commander of the Republican Guard, read a message on the radio.

He announced a “national restoration council” would be formed, adding that the so-called Patriotic Youth Movement of the Gabonese Defense and Security Forces (MPJFDS), headed by himself, “calls on all young people from forces for the defense and security and Gabonese young people to join us.”

“The eagerly awaited day has arrived when the army has decided to put itself on the side of the people in order to save Gabon from chaos,” he said. “If you are eating, stop; if you are having a drink, stop; if you are sleeping, wake up. Wake up your neighbors… rise up as one and take control of the street.”

The apparent coup attempt comes as Bongo has not been back to Gabon since he was first hospitalized in Saudi Arabia on October 24. It was later revealed that he had suffered a stroke. He is now recovering at a private residence in Rabat, Morocco.

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo (Photo by AFP)

In his New Year address, Bongo said in spite of health issues, he was regaining his fitness. Media reports suggested that during the speech, Bongo had slurred some words and had not moved his right arm.

Gabon’s Constitutional Court has transferred part of the presidential powers to the prime minister and the vice president in Bongo’s absence.

The Bongo family has ruled the oil-producing country for nearly half a century.

Bongo has been president since succeeding his father, Omar, who died in 2009. His reelection in 2016 was marred by claims of fraud and violent protests.

US troops in Gabon

Just days before the coup attempt, the United States deployed military troops to Gabon.

President Donald Trump told Congress in a letter on Friday that the troops had been sent to Gabon to “protect” American citizens and diplomatic facilities in case violence breaks out in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.

PressTV-US deploys military troops to Gabon over Congo elections

“These deployed personnel will remain in the region until the security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo becomes such that their presence is no longer needed,” Trump wrote to Congress.

Many geopolitical analysts believe that the US is expanding its military presence in Africa in order to exploit the continent’s oil and mineral resources while staying close to the Middle East.

Source: Presstv

Gabon officers ‘oust President Ali Bongo’

7, January 2019

Gabon officers ‘oust President Ali Bongo’ 0

Junior officers say they have seized power in oil-rich Gabon, where the ailing leader’s family has ruled for 50 years.

Soldiers in the west African country say they launched a coup “to restore democracy”.

They took control of the national radio station at 04:30 local time (03:30 GMT) to read a short statement announcing a “National Restoration Council”.

Tanks and armed vehicles can be seen on the streets of the capital Libreville.

Ali Bongo succeeded his father Omar Bongo as president in 2009. He narrowly won re-election in 2016 in a poll marred by violence and accusations of fraud.

Mr Bongo, who has been out of the country for two months, reportedly suffered a stroke in October and received treatment in Morocco

Soldiers announcing a coup on state television
Image captionSoldiers also announced the coup on state television

‘Pitiful sight’

He sought to put an end to the rumours about his health with a televised New Year message in which he said he was feeling fine.

Soldiers said they had been disappointed by the message, calling it “a pitiful sight” and a “relentless attempt to cling onto power.”

“It reinforced doubts about his ability to assume the responsibilities of his role as President of the Republic”, said Lt Kelly Ondo Obiang, the leader of the so-called Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon.

He specifically appealed to young people to “take charge of their destiny”.

The insurgents called on soldiers to take control of the transport system, ammunition reserves and airports “in the interests of the nation”.

There is no word so far from the government.

President Trump has deployed soldiers to Gabon to protect US citizens amid fears of violent protests in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo following its presidential election.

BBC

1, January 2019

Hidden history of presidential sickness: Ali Bongo tells Gabonese ‘I am now fine’ in New Year message 0

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo chose the auspicious occasion of a new year to address his citizens for the first time since suffering a stroke on October 24. The New Year’s message recorded in Morocco, was distributed via social and traditional media on Monday.

“It is true that I have been through a difficult period, as sometimes happens in life,” he said in a video recorded in Rabat, where the president has been recuperating since end-November. Today, as you can see, I am better and I am preparing to meet you again soon.

The 59-year-old leader has not been home to Gabon since he fell ill in Saudi Arabia more than two months ago. A lack of official news sparked fevered speculation that he was incapacitated or even dead.

A single photograph of Bongo and two videos without sound were published in the two months after his stroke, further fuelling rumours about his health.

Speaking straight to the camera in the new video, Bongo elocutes his message seemingly effortlessly, even as his head and hands display slight movement.

Fully recovered?

Seated at a table, the president’s lower body is not shown. “Today, as you can see, I am better and I am preparing to meet you again soon,” Bongo said in the video.

Presidency spokesman Ike Ngouoni told AFP: “This speech is proof that President Ali Bongo is fully recovered. His health problems are now behind him.”

The Bongo family has governed the oil-rich equatorial African nation for five decades. The incumbent replaced his father, who died in 2009.

Three opposition party leaders have called for an independent medical team to see Bongo in Rabat to assess whether he is able to perform his presidential duties.

Bongo was narrowly re-elected in 2016 following a presidential poll marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud.

Africa News

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