An article by Penelope Chester on UN Dispatch caught me entirely unaware. In brief, from the article,
"When autocratic, kleptomaniac Omar Bongo ... died in the summer of 2009, elections were promptly held. About 15 candidates from various political parties were in the running for the August 30 vote, Gabon’s first ever “true” democratic election.
"Omar Bongo’s son – Ali Bongo – was declared to have won shortly after the election, both by the national election commission and the country’s highest court. Ali Bongo’s victory was met with a burst of violence from opposition supporters....
"A few weeks ago, on the same day that Egyptian protesters started taking to the streets en masse, opposition candidate Andre Mba Obame ... (declared) himself president and (appointed) his own cabinet.... Obame holed up in UNDP’s headquarters, encouraged his supporters to imitate their brethren in Tunisia and take to the streets. These protests were violently suppressed by the government, and opposition leaders have allegedly been kidnapped."
Search Google News and the most recent story about the situation is from 28 January. It's titled Gabon copycat revolution fails. 28 January was two weeks ago. What else has happened!?
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