Gabon's ousted president freed after two years in detention

The former Gabon president, Bongo Ondimba, who was ousted from power in the 2023 military coup, has been released after spending 20 months in detention.

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The president, his wife Sylvia and son Noureddin were freed by coup leaders earlier in the week and have left the country for Angola.

Their release came after Angolan President João Lourenço, who currently chairs the African Union, visited the country for talks with Gabonese leader Brice Ngueme.

The former general had led the coup against Ali Bongo in 2023. In April 2025, he secured a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election.

According to the Bongo family’s lawyer, François Zimeray, their release was a result of “long-term efforts both from judicial and diplomatic fronts.”

Mr Zimeray had filed a lawsuit in a French court over their detention, alleging torture and kidnapping, the BBC reported.

“Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo will now finally be able to turn the page, heal and rebuild their lives. We would like to thank all those who, in one way or another, played a part in this outcome.

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“Sylvia and Noureddin, both French citizens, were seized in August 2023 and held in underground cells while Bongo was kept under house arrest in a presidential residence,” he stated.

Although Mr Bongo himself has not been charged, the military junta had accused his regime of widespread corruption and misgovernance. The coup leader had also said the ousted president and his wife would stand trial for embezzlement once elections had taken place.

A recent statement announcing their release read, “Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo, aged 62 and 33, flew with the former president to Luanda, Angola, on Thursday night, touching down at approximately 11.30 pm local time.

“Their release came following litigation in the French courts and intense lobbying from African Union (AU) leaders in recent days.”

The Bongo Ondimba dynasty began in 1967 when Omar Bongo seized power and went on to become Africa’s longest‑serving president, ruling Gabon for 42 years with a tight grip on the country’s oil wealth and political institutions.

However, following his death in 2009, his son Ali Bongo Ondimba succeeded him amid allegations of electoral fraud and deepening corruption.

Despite protests and calls for reform, the Bongo family maintained its hold on power until the 2023 coup.