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French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for an immediate end of violence in Gabon on Thursday, following the disputed re-election of President Ali Bongo that triggered clashes between the police an opposition supporters.

"Within the framework of a political process, there's no room for violence," Ayrault said in a written statement. "I'm calling, therefore, all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid additional victims."

Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping said on Thursday that two people were killed and many wounded when the presidential guard and police attacked his party's headquarters overnight.

Reuters

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Rita Akana

01.Sep.2016

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Gabon’s national assembly building in the capital city of Libreville was set ablaze late on Aug 31, as protestors demonstrated against the narrow victory of incumbent president Ali Bongo under controversial circumstances.

The protests and the fire prompted security forces to storm the opposition leader Jean Ping’s headquarters, according to the BBC. Ping said that two people were killed in the protests. He has taken to Twitter to describe the state of affairs in the country. Around 6pm local time on Aug. 31 he tweeted that his offices were under assault by the Republican Guard.

According to AFP, internet access has been cut in much of the capital. Security forces clashed with protestors in the streets of Libreville on Wednesday, soon after the electoral commission CENAP announced the results. Bongo was reported to have won the election with 49.8% of the vote versus 48.2% for Ping, a margin of just 5,594 votes out of a total 627,805 registered voters. 

Ping, the former head of the African Union commission, has rejected the result and demanded a recount. “‘Results’ likes Ali Bongo’s are the hallmarks of dictators and tyrants who refuse to give up power,” Ping said in an emailed statement, calling on his supporters to remain peaceful.Citing the delay in announcing the results and unrealistic voter turnout as high 99.9%, Ping accused Bongo of manipulating the election. European Union election observers also said the election “lacked transparency,” with electoral bodies failing to release things like a list of polling stations or all registered voters.

Analysts have said that if the election had been free and open, Bongo could very well have lost to his rival, a quiet former diplomat and the son of a Chinese businessman. Earlier this week, Ping had declared himself the winner based on unofficial tallies.

“Two generations of Gabonese have lived exclusively under the Bongo presidency,” said Oumar Ba, a PhD candidate at the University of Florida who has been following the election. “I believe yes, the majority of Gabonese would want to elect another president.”

The US State Dept released a statement saying it is “deeply concerned” and called on the Gabonese government to release results from each polling station. “Gabon is at a critical juncture. This is the time for all leaders there to act in a way that safeguards those who live in Gabon. We continue to monitor the situation closely.”

The win by Bongo means an extension of the nearly 50-year rule of the Bongo family. His father Omar Bongo was president of the central African former French colony for 42 years. Ali Bongo became president in 2009.

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Rita Akana

01.Sep.2016

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Nana Sandjon it should be noted was formerly the mayor of Bazou.

The Eye Newspaper

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Rita Akana

01.Sep.2016

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Gabon's President Ali Bongo has won re-election with 49.80 percent of ballots cast in a weekend poll, according to final results validated by the electoral commission and provided to Reuters by a commissioner on Wednesday.{position myposition}
Bongo's chief rival Jean Ping, who has already declared that he won the polls, received 48.23 percent of the vote. Elections commission members belonging to the opposition denounced the vote, which one commissioner for Ping's party, Paul Marie Gondjout, said was "stolen".

Reuters

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Rita Akana

31.Aug.2016

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Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, yesterday made a surprise sudden visit in Lagos, Nigeria.

The 32-year-old tech entrepreneur surprisingly made a sudden visit and inspection of activities at the Co-Creation Hub, Yaba Lagos.

According to Vanguard, his visit is related to the ‘Facebook for developers’ workshop’ for Nigerian engineers, product managers and partners holding today in Lagos.

The event is expected to help the engineers build better applications and monetise them more effectively. 

On his Facebook page Zuckerberg made the announcement;

Next stop: Lagos! This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. I’ll be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria. The energy here is amazing and I’m excited to learn as much as I can.

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Rita Akana

31.Aug.2016

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Ivorian president has just dismissed his adviser Mamadi Diané whose conversation with PING was made public.In the telephone interview dated Monday,the adviser is heard telling PING to work with some members of the electoral commission who will be paid to resign from their post claiming it is not fair. 

It is this assurance that gave PING the guts to say he won the elections.When i first condemned this,many people said am supporting BONGO.Far from that ,i think foreign interference in matters like this can jeopardize the country's integrity .

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Price Hanson Nfor

31.Aug.2016

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