Gabon Swears In Former Junta Chief, Oligui, As New President

General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the former leader of the military junta that seized power in a coup last year, was officially sworn in as Gabon’s new president today, May 3, 2025, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s turbulent political landscape.

Key Developments

Approximately twenty African heads of state gathered at a stadium north of Libreville for the inauguration ceremony, where enthusiastic supporters wearing Oligui-branded T-shirts and waving flags filled the 40,000-seat venue to capacity. Notable attendees included Gambian President Adama Barrow, Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh, and Equatorial Guinea’s long-serving leader Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The inauguration marked the culmination of a nine-month transitional period following the dramatic August 30, 2023 coup that abruptly ended the 55-year political dynasty of the Bongo family. Former President Ali Bongo Ondimba – who had ruled since 2009 after succeeding his father Omar Bongo (1967-2009) – was deposed by mutinous soldiers moments after electoral authorities declared his controversial third-term victory.

The Bongo family’s uninterrupted rule since 1967 made Gabon a textbook example of “autocratic stability” in Central Africa, buoyed by oil wealth but criticized for systemic corruption and elite capture of resources. Furthermore, Ali Bongo’s 2018 stroke and subsequent health struggles had already weakened his grip on power prior to the coup. The presence of leaders like Equatorial Guinea’s Obiang (in power since 1979) at the inauguration subtly legitimized military transitions among long-ruling elites.

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