Former Gabonese President Ali Bongo has announced his retirement from politics, a year after being ousted in a military coup. In a letter to the nation, Bongo, 65, declared his “definitive renunciation of any national ambition” and urged the military to release his wife, Sylvia, and son, Noureddin, who are detained on corruption charges.
Bongo’s health has been a concern since a 2018 stroke, and his re-election in 2023, disputed by the opposition, triggered the coup led by Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema. While the military has allowed Bongo to remain in Libreville, he claims his movements are restricted.
Bongo, who succeeded his father in 2009, denied allegations that his family enriched themselves during their decades in power and called for national reconciliation. Gabon, an oil-rich nation, still faces widespread poverty, with one-third of its population living below the poverty line.
Gen. Nguema has promised free and fair elections next year, though he has not confirmed if he will run. Bongo pledged to stay out of politics, urging the nation to “write its next history with harmony and humanity.”
