From condemnation to friendship: Biya dines with Gabon coup leader

Just three months ago, Cameroon joined the band wagon of countries to condemn Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Gabon coup leader, for overthrowing Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba on August 30.

Although the coup was much celebrated in Gabon for unseating the Bongo dynasty, which had ruled the country for 55 years, it did not go down well with Yaounde.

The coup in Gabon, happening just a month after a military takeover in Niger, sent cold shivers on Yaounde.

It prompted fears that the coup excitement could spread to other African countries, especially Cameroon, which Biya has ruled for 41 years.

Biya’s henchmen swung into action and began dismissing any possibilities for a coup in the country.

On August 31, a day after the coup in Gabon, Communication Minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, signed a release stating that the Cameroon Government “condemns the ongoing anti-constitutional change of government which violates the fundamental principles and values of the Economic Community of Central African States and of the African Union”.

He went forth to threaten to sanction media organs and persons who initiate discussions on a coup d’etat in Cameroon, suggesting that it was unpatriotic and undemocratic to do so.

Given the government’s seeming intolerance of a coup, very few people expected the Unity Palace to accept the new reality in Gabon so soon.

The mobilization in Yaounde yesterday was unprecedented, as the once-chastized Gabon coup leader made his first official visit to Cameroon since seizing power in August.

The visit was “at the invitation” of President Paul Biya, according to CRTV.

Nguema was received by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute; he met with large crowds of Gabonese in Yaounde before meeting with President Biya for a two-hour encounter.

Biya not only offered open arms to the Gabonese transitional president but described their newfound cooperation as cordial.

“I have had cordial and fruitful interviews with His Excellency the General of Brigade Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, President of the Transition, President of the Gabonese Republic, on an official visit to Cameroon this Wednesday, 06 December 2023,” a post on President Biya’s official social media accounts read.

In an interview after the meeting, Gen Nguema said they discussed the possibilities of lifting economic sanctions heaped on Gabon by CEMAC countries following the coup.

Gabon got suspended from the African Union as well as the Economic Community of Central African State (ECCAS) because of the coup.

For the past month, Gen Oligui Nguema has been touring CEMAC countries to get them to lift the economic sanctions on Gabon.

His visit to Cameroon ended with similar tours to Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and the Congo.

The military leader, who is due to hand over power to civilians in October 2025, says he wants to ensure order is restored in Gabon before doing so.

Gen Brice Nguema claims he seized power from Bongo to restore the rule of law and development in Gabon, which had been ruined under the Bongos.

However, his alignment with sit-tight leaders like Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodora Ebiang Nguema raises questions about his pursuit of democracy and good governance.

Both leaders are not only among the longest-serving presidents in the world, but their governments have been characterised by the very ills Nguema is fighting against in Gabon – bad governance, human rights abuses, authoritarian rule, and gross corruption.

Biya’s Subtle Acceptance Of Coup Legitimacy?

By stretching a hand of fellowship to the coup leader, President Paul Biya appears to have confirmed the beliefs of Jean Rene Oba, an international affairs lecturer at Omar Bongo University in Gabon.

Oba told VOA Nguema has succeeded in convincing central African leaders that a military coup was necessary to save Gabon from the Bongo family’s long and autocratic rule that impoverished civilians and created political and ethnic tensions.

“The president of the transition, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, is totally mindful of the reality that there is no single country on earth that can live in its own bubble in the 21st century. So he started a campaign explaining the legitimacy of the action he took on behalf of the Gabonese people, and I think the arguments that he has been making are very powerful, and that is why we could see he is so welcomed and understood,” Oba is quoted to have said.

Ali Bongo was ousted just after declaring himself the winner of an August 26 election that was described as totally unfair and void of any international observers.

The bloodless coup, according to the coup supporters, quickly stopped a civil war that was about to break out in Gabon.

Cameroonians React

While the meeting between Nguema and Biya underscored the complexity of contemporary politics and Cameroon’s neutrality on the international scene, it triggered mixed reactions among Cameroonians.

Some observers wondered why the Unity Palace would be so enthusiastic about receiving a coup leader just a few months after downcasting his action.

“The Minister of Communication banned the Cameroonian from talking about a coup in Africa. It’s surprising that you get a putschist in the palace,” commented a Facebook user.

Others wondered why Biya, who used to share the same “cordial” ties with the ousted President Ali Bongo, would now quickly align with his “unconstitutional” successor.

On a positive note, others saluted Nguema’s move to reinstate political ties with the Central African States, with Cameroon being the most economically influential.

Mimi Mefo Info