A year since a military coup in Gabon ended the Bongo dynasty’s 56-year rule, the country marked the anniversary in festive mood this week with celebrations and promises by the ruling junta to step up progress on reforms.
The Gabonese largely welcomed the military’s ouster of president Ali Bongo, whose family’s poor management of the central African country’s oil wealth had led to a stagnant economy and stranded a third of the population in poverty.
Hundreds gathered in the centre of the capital, Libreville, on Friday for official celebrations led by interim president General Brice Oligui Nguema to mark the first anniversary of what is widely referred to as the “coup of liberation” in Gabon.
ALSO READ: Performances galore at the Eswatini International Trade Fair’s opening
“The Gabonese have cried so much. He (Nguema) came to wipe away our tears. And today we’re happy,” said civil servant Edwige Bengone, wearing a t-shirt with the coup leader’s photo on it, as brass bands played among cheering crowds.
One year on, the economic outlook remains uncertain and the junta has yet to confirm a date for a promised transition to democracy via the ballot box, but supporters including student Ulrich Yebe said they felt cautiously optimistic.
“In just one year, we can’t really judge yet. But given the progress made, we can say that they’re on the right track.
We’re waiting for the end of the transition to see what they’ve been able to achieve,” he said.Gabon faces significant challenges.
1Despite its significant oil wealth, infrastructure across the heavily forested country is poor, it is highly dependent on food imports, and income per capita is lower than it was in the 1970s.
The junta, which calls itself the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, has taken steps to improve transparency and budget management.
ALSO READ: International Women’s Day: Jabu controls multibillion-dollar purse
But a brighter economic outlook will depend on authorities’ ability to pivot to a more open and inclusive model of governance, the International Monetary Fund warned in May, saying economic diversification and correcting fiscal imbalances were vital.
