Former First Lady Arrested (Photo)

Sylvia Bongo, the former first lady of Gabon, was arrested late on Wednesday, as reported by AFP.

Her lawyer, Francois Zimeray, criticized the arrest as an “arbitrary and unlawful procedure,” stating that she is being held on suspicion of embezzling public funds.

In various towns, marches were organized to express solidarity with the junta.

Opposition groups in Gabon and civil society organizations supporting the military junta suspect members of Mr. Bongo’s family of possessing extensive real estate holdings and holding substantial amounts of money in foreign banks. These funds could potentially be utilized to narrow the gap between the predominantly poor population and the wealthy few.

Since the coup on August 30 that ended the 55-year rule of the Bongo dynasty, Sylvia Bongo had been under house arrest in Libreville, the capital of the nation.

The leaders of the coup accuse the former first lady and her son, Nourredin Bongo, of exerting undue influence over Gabon’s deposed President, Ali Bongo, who has not fully recovered from a severe stroke in 2018. It was also believed that the former first lady was grooming her son, Noureddine Bongo, to succeed his father. In December 2019, Noureddin Bongo was appointed the general coordinator of presidential affairs by his father.

On August 30, immediately after being declared the winner of a presidential election, military leaders overthrew Mr. Bongo, 64, who had governed the oil-rich Central African nation since 2009. The opposition and leaders of the military coup, citing widespread corruption and ineffective leadership during his rule, contested the results as fraudulent. Soldiers detained a son of Mr. Bongo, five senior cabinet members, and his wife Sylvia Bongo on the day of the coup.

After the military takeover on August 30, the coup leaders in Gabon announced the appointment of a prominent opponent of the deposed Mr. Bongo as interim prime minister. Raymond Sima, 68, had previously served as prime minister in Mr. Bongo’s government from 2012 to 2014 before becoming an opponent and running against him in 2016 and 2023. He performed poorly in the latest elections.

On September 6, the military junta announced that Mr. Bongo was free to travel abroad. Meanwhile, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) suspended Gabon’s membership during an extraordinary summit in Djibloho, Equatorial Guinea, and condemned the use of force to resolve political conflicts.

Under the leadership of General Brice Nguema, the military junta in Gabon has established a two-year transition period to democracy, and military cooperation with France has been reinstated. Mr. Oligui has appointed former opposition leaders and key figures from the ousted regime to both houses of parliament.