After the call from the Quai d’Orsay for the greatest vigilance, the French residing in Libreville speak of a peaceful situation, where French nationals do not seem to be in danger.
What is the situation in Libreville? The day after the coup d’etat orchestrated in Gabon, during which putschist soldiers “put an end to the regime in place” and removed the outgoing president Ali Bongo, the atmosphere is one of jubilation and joy in the streets of the capital of the central African country.
On Wednesday evening, Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the Republican Guard, was officially named “president of the transition”, after being carried in triumph by hundreds of soldiers.
Quiet location
Speaking to BFMTV, several French nationals who live in Gabon speak of a relaxed situation in Libreville. “The situation is calm, the Gabonese are happy, we are secured by the army,” explains Carmen.
“The Gabonese are showing their joy in the streets peacefully, and we are just waiting for the outcome of all this,” she adds.
For Christophe, also interviewed by our branch, the French present on site do not have to face any feelings from the Gabonese population. “Not a single second during the day have we had problems, there is no traffic in Libreville, or very little, there is no witch hunt or anything at all,” he said.
“The French have nothing to fear”
A situation which contrasts with that which occurred in Niger earlier in the month, where the French embassy was targeted by angry demonstrators after the Niamey putsch.
Still with BFMTV, Jocksy Ondo-Louemba, Gabonese journalist and writer living in France, assures that the Gabonese case is very different from that of other African countries which have experienced political turmoil in recent months.
“The French have nothing to fear, there is no reason to fear anything. It is also a question of reading grid, if we read Gabon as we read Niger we will be wrong, as we read Mali and we are going to be wrong, there have never been any threats weighing on French nationals,” he assures.
A sign of this appeasement, during the day of Wednesday, the French mining group Eramet, which notably operates a large manganese mine, announced the gradual resumption of its activities in Gabon after having announced the temporary cessation of its activities during the hours followed the coup. However, the Quai d’Orsay calls on its nationals to be extremely vigilant and to stay at home.
Source: BFM TV
