Somewhere in Central Africa, Western scientists and conservationists, entranced by the paradisiacal beauty of 270,000 square kilometers of space covered in lush rainforest and teeming with wildlife, found an earthly paradise. It is the country of Gabon, with a population estimated at 2.3 million people, featuring coastal plains, mountains , and a savanna in the east. Libreville is the country’s capital and its largest city.
However, Alain Bongo never pursued a career in music. Instead, he converted to Islam, changed his name to Ali, and pursued a career in politics. During his father’s presidency, he became his nation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and years later, upon the death of his father in 2009, Omar Bongo, Ali Bongo became the president of Gabon.
But while Omar is championing the cause of the environment and being the darling of the West, his fellow countrymen are being ravaged by poverty. For a country of 2.5 million people living in an oil-rich country, that was unconscionable. In contrast, the Bongo family lives a life of pure luxury, residing in gilded mansions and enjoying other perks, completely detached from the everyday struggles of their countrymen.
The latest coup in Gabon follows a worrisome but not surprising pattern in Africa, especially among countries of the Sahel, in the last few years. President Tinubu called it a contagion of coups, and he was right. But it’s no wonder why this is the case in a continent with a 90-year-old president and a neighboring country whose president has been in power for a whopping 44 years. Point to me a young and healthy African head of state, and I will find you a unicorn.