French President Emmanuel Macron visited Gabon in March, and protesters in the country’s second-largest city, Port-Gentil, used the opportunity to demand the departure of French troops stationed in the country.
France, which has around 400 soldiers permanently based in the capital, Libreville, as part of a military training operation, has significant economic interests in its former colony, including in the mining and oil sectors.
The Port-Gentil protests were organised by the opposition Gabonese Patriotic Front, which said the defence accords between the two countries no longer contributed to Gabon’s development as the country was not at war.
“We denounce the partnership between France and the illegitimate regime of Ali Bongo, whose family has held power in Gabon since 1967,” David Pandjo Ngoma, one of the protest organisers, said at the time.
BBC