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Gabon's ousted President Ali Bongo and family freed after two years and fly to Angola

Bongo's wife and son faced corruption charges and had been imprisoned in 2023

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by BBC NEWS

Africa16 May 2025 - 18:40
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In Summary


  • The Angolan presidency added in a statement posted on social media that Bongo's family had been released from detention and were with him in Luanda.
  • During their 14 years in power, the Bongo family had been accused of accumulating wealth for themselves at the expense of the country - allegations they deny.

Bongo has been vocal in condemning what he described as the "violence and torture" faced by his wife and son./FILE

Gabon's former President, Ali Bongo, who was deposed in a 2023 coup, has left the country and is now in Angola, the authorities there have announced.

The Angolan presidency added in a statement posted on social media that Bongo's family had been released from detention and were with him in Luanda.

Bongo's wife and son, Sylvia and Noureddin, faced corruption charges and had been imprisoned in 2023.

They have not yet publicly commented on the charges; however, Ms Bongo's lawyer has described her detention as arbitrary and illegal.

The family's release comes after Angolan President João Lourenço, who currently heads the African Union, visited Libreville and held talks with his Gabonese counterpart Brice Oligui Nguema - the former general who led the coup against Bongo before being elected president last month.

His wife and son were detained in prison and then reportedly released to house arrest last week.

During their 14 years in power, the Bongo family had been accused of accumulating wealth for themselves at the expense of the country - allegations they deny.

Despite Gabon being an oil-rich nation, a third of its population lives below the poverty line, according to the UN.

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