Gabon: Mourning Unrest’s First Casualty, as <PERSON> Meets <PERSON> · Global Voices
This post is part of our special coverage of Gabon Unrest 2011.
Gabon is mourning the first casualty of the country's political unrest. <PERSON> was beaten up during the January 29, 2011 attack on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) building in Libreville, where self-proclaimed president <PERSON> and his government have taken refuge. According to several testimonies, <PERSON> died of wounds caused by police brutality.
First alleged victim of the political crisis that began on 25th January 2011 in Gabon
On February 18, Gabonite wrote on the social network Twitter:
Une mère battue à mort par les « forces de sécurité » au Gabon!
A mother beaten up to death by “security forces” in Gabon!
La voix du Peuple Gabon (Voice of Gabonese People) on its website confirms the information that the woman died because police violence:
Pour avoir été manifester pour dire non, ça suffit comme ça, cette jeune femme de 38 ans s'est sauvagement fait matraquer par ceux-là même qui sont sensés nous protéger.
Because she demonstrated in order to say enough is enough, this 38 year old young woman was savagely clubbed by the same people who are supposed to protect us.
The site continues:
ayant eu plusieurs côtes cassées, elle s'est rendu dans un hopital de la place où on lui a clairement fait comprendre que les manifestants n'etaient pas les bienvenus
suffering from several broken ribs, she went to the local hospital where she was clearly notified that demonstrators were not welcome.
The report, however, was denied by the Gabonese authorities. Agence France Press (AFP) published on February 20, 2011 an article entitled “Death of a woman is not due to police brutality” [fr]:
Le Ministère de l'Intérieur a démenti dimanche auprès de l'AFP que le décès d'une sympathisante du président auto-proclamé <PERSON>,(…) soit dû à des brutalités policières.
Minister of Interior denied on sunday to the Agence France Presse (AFP) that the death of one of self proclaimed president <PERSON>'s sympahiser was due to Police brutalities.
This caused several reactions from Gabonese netizens. Bantuconnexion on Twitter opined:
Now Official: l'AFP Libreville est l'agence de communication du min. 575
de l'intérieur gabonais.
Now official: Agence France Presse in Libreville is now the Communication agency of Gabonese Minister of Interior
In spite of the polemic, <PERSON> picture was used as profile picture on Facebook as a tribute:
Liberté du Gabon Révolution (Freedom of Gabon Revolution) used <PERSON> image as profile picture on social network Facebook
Her funerals were organised on Sunday February 20, 2011.
<PERSON> funerals in Gasepga, Libreville, where she used to live
<PERSON> and <PERSON> Meet in Paris
French President <PERSON> received in a non-official visit the Gabonese president <PERSON> on February 21, 2011. Among several subjects, the two Head of States talked about the “wind of revolution” blowing throughout Africa. Interviewed by a Vox Africa Journalist, <PERSON> declared that [fr]:
Il ne faut pas faire de parallèle entre les différents pays. Certaines situations sont totalement différentes.
We should not make any comparison between different countries. Some situations are totally different.
During the visit, <PERSON> and <PERSON> discussed the the deployment of the French Military Defense Force in Central Africa, whose base is in Libreville:
The visit was highly criticised by the French environmental political Party in a press release [fr]:
Europe Ecologie Les Verts demande au président français de mettre un terme à ces pratiques de prédation économique et écologique, et d’en finir avec sa complaisance vis-à-vis du régime gabonais qui se refuse à la démocratisation. 575