Scores of people have been holding protests and clashing with the police in Libreville, the capital of Gabon following rumour that the country’s president, Ali Bongo is a Nigerian.
This is coming on the heels of French writer Pierre Péan’s controversial book, “New African Affairs”, in which he accused Bongo of falsifying his birth certificate.
In the book, the author claims President Ali Bongo has Nigerian origins and was brought from Biafra during the Nigerian civil war in the 1960’s(believed to be in the picture and circled).
The book claims that he was adopted by the late president Omar Bongo.
This has caused tension in Gabon.
According to the country’s constitution, no persons born to foreign parents can become president.
The book also accuses the Gabonese leader of presenting a false birth certificate to qualify for the 2009 presidential elections.
The opposition has demanded that he produce his birth certificate, or take a DNA test to prove that he is the son of Omar Bongo.
“We did not say anything serious except the truth. We didn’t say anything except the birth certificate that he produced was false,” said Jean Ping, former Chairman of the AU Commission.
It was a forgery and a falsehood.
But the Gabonese government has described the allegations as rumours and is threatening to file a lawsuit against the journalist.
-AFP
