Gabonese president 'opens arms' for peace talks with opposition

Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba has again expressed readiness to meet with opposition leaders to sustain peace after the post-election violence.

The president’s spokesperson, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nzé, announced that Ali Bongo wants to meet with them to avoid further deaths.

“President Bongo is ready to meet all candidates in the last presidential election, including Ping, so that no more Gabonese dies in the claim for democracy which the law is in place to resolve,” the spokesperson said on Tuesday night on state television.

He also condemned calls for violence which he describes as “irresponsible”.

“These calls for political violence have never been seen in our country. Promising instability if the Court’s ruling is not favorable,” Bilie-By-Nzé claimed.

“The motive of these people is to get more victims, as if the death toll already registered and the grief faced by many Gabonese families are not enough,” he added.

The main opposition candidate, former AU Chairperson, Jean Ping, has applied to the Constitutional Court to authorise a recount in a province where President Ali Bongo won 95 percent of the votes on a 99.9 percent turnout.

He has openly proclaimed that if there is no recount of votes, the country will face “profound and sustained instability”.

The court is expected to deliver its verdict by Friday, September 23.

Jean Ping lost the August 27 election by less than 6,000 votes.