August 31, 2026, marked the tenth anniversary of the raid on Jean Ping’s campaign headquarters in Libreville, which remains one of the most controversial episodes of the 2016 post-election crisis in Gabon.
Following the presidential election of August 27, 2016, which officially declared the incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba as the winner, the opposition coalition led by Jean Ping challenged the outcome. Amid intense political friction, security forces launched a night operation against the campaign headquarters of Jean Ping in Libreville between August 31 and September 1, 2016.
Numerous eyewitness accounts and civil society organizations indicate that this intervention resulted in multiple deaths, injuries, arbitrary arrests, and forced disappearances. Government officials at the time justified the assault by stating they were pursuing suspects who had set fire to the National Assembly and fled to the opposition headquarters.
Ten years later: Remembrance and the demand for accountability
To mark this anniversary, the citizen coalition Tournons La Page Gabon (TLP-Gabon) has demanded truth and justice for those affected by the violence. The organization highlights that several critical questions remain unanswered:
Who gave the orders for the raid?
What is the precise number of casualties?
What investigations have actually been carried out?
Where are the remains of the suspected victims?
TLP-Gabon maintains that no lasting national reconciliation can be achieved without judicial clarity regarding these events. To honor those affected, the group launched a commemorative campaign titled “10 years, 10 faces” to humanize and remember the victims.
A decade later, the families of the victims and survivors continue to wait for justice. To discuss this situation, we welcome four guests:
- Virgilio Foumangoye, economist and sustainable development consultant.
- Marc Ona Essangui, current fifth vice-president of the Senate and former president of Tournons la Page Internationale.
Frédéric Samy Passalet, writer, essayist, and PhD in Francophone literature specializing in African conflict prevention. He is also the author of the essay Les marionnettes de Poutine en Afrique.
- Rodolphe Chauvet, criminal defense attorney at the Paris bar, working alongside William Bourdon on the French legal proceedings of this case.
To listen to the complete discussion, click on the image above.
