In the aftermath of the fall of Ali Bongo Ondimba, driven out by soldiers from the power he had held for fourteen years, the streets of Libreville, the capital of Gabon, regained their usual effervescence, between the scent of “independence” and vigilance. for the future.
Abou, a young shopkeeper from the Battery 4 district, resumed his place behind the counter of his busy little grocery store, whose red storefront remained closed on Wednesday, after soldiers overthrew the president who had barely been proclaimed re-elected in a ballot that the putschists feel rigged.
Sardines, press, money transfers, multicolored jars filled with sweets, this is the meeting place for many residents of the neighborhood whom they pleasantly found on Thursday, after the announcement by the putschists of a return to normal life. .
The young man, who did not give his last name, confides his “satisfaction” to see the “Bongo dynasty” extinguished after fifty-five years of power in the hands of father Omar Bongo and then of the son, and of going back to work. However, he says he is waiting to see how “things will turn out”.
“Happy and dubious”
Like this shop, the whole city has regained its enthusiasm. Evidenced by the strong smells of exhaust fumes emanating from the boulevard du Bord-de-Mer, one of the busiest in the capital, which mingle with the damp heat, a premise of the imminent return of the rainy season.
Not far from there, there is a scent of euphoria in the neighborhood “behind the prison” where hairdressers, mechanics and car washes have almost all returned to work. And here, the delicate aroma of grilled vegetables and coupé-coupé, a recipe based on beef, escapes from a smokehouse.
Near the administrative district, installed with friends on the terrace of a “maquis”, a nickname designating the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood, Josée Anguiley says she has “two contradictory feelings”: “we are happy with this situation, and slightly doubtful, we fear a little at the same time “for the future, explains the young 36-year-old shopkeeper between two sips of Régab, a particularly appreciated local beer.
“The military cannot run a country, we want a civilian to take over. The current situation must not last long, the transition must take place quickly, “says Jasmine Assala Biyogo, the owner of the premises, who claims to have voted in favor of Ali’s main rival for the presidential election, Albert Ondo Ossa.
“You saved us!” »
As soon as a police officer who was obviously used to the scene burst in, the 35-year-old young woman jumped on his neck: “Thank you, you saved us! she exclaims. The civil servant, smiling, willingly lends himself to the game.
In the streets, vegetable sellers have also taken up their place and cassava, safou (a fruit widely consumed in Central Africa), green and red peppers, cohabit again on the multicolored makeshift tablecloths. With a certain excitement, everyone passes and replays the telephones in which the images of the celebrations of the day before turn in a loop.
Apart from a few vehicle checks and searches justified by the fact that “some leave with suitcases”, according to a gendarme, the police force was nothing extraordinary, apart from the presence of a few vehicles and armored vehicles in front of the places of power (ministries , institutions), and particularly around the presidential palace, in the Bord de Mer district.
On Monday, Gabon’s new strongman, General Brice Oligui Nguema, will be declared president of an as-yet-undetermined “transitional” power, while the opposition urges putschists to recognize Albert’s “victory” instead. Ondo Ossa.
