Ali Bongo Ondimba

Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain Bernard Bongo; February 9, 1959)"BONGO Ali", GABON: LES HOMMES DE POUVOIR N°4, Africa Intelligence, 5 March 2002 . is a Gabonese politician. He was the President of Gabon from 16 October 2009 until he was deposed on 30 August 2023.

On 7 January 2019, soldiers in Gabon launched a coup d’etat attempt. The coup attempt failed, and the government successfully re-asserted control.

In October 2018, he was hospitalized due to a stroke in Riyadh. In August 2019, Bongo was hospitalized in London and his health was said to be deteriorating.

In October 2021, Ali Bongo is quoted in the “Pandora papers”, these documents on the use of offshore companies in tax havens, Ali Bongo would have been the beneficiary of two companies now dissolved.

On 30 August 2023, military forces, led by high-ranking officers, took control of key government buildings, communication channels, and strategic points within the capital Libreville. During a televised address around ten military personnel announced the end of Bongo's regime, citing "irresponsible, unpredictable governance" that had led to "a continuous degradation of social cohesion, risking pushing the country into chaos." They announced the annulment of the 2023 Gabonese general election and the dissolution of state institutions, as well as the closure of the country's borders.

References

Other websites

Official site of Ali Bongo
2004 photograph of Ali Bongo (People's Daily)
GABON: Who will succeed Omar Bongo?, IRIN News, 11 February 2005

Category:1959 births
Category:Living people
Category:Presidents of Gabon
Category:Former dictators