Former presidential spokesperson Ike Ngouoni discusses his arrest, detention, and the inner workings of the Ali Bongo Ondimba administration
via Gabon Review2 min read
In an interview with Jeune Afrique on April 21, 2026, Ike Ngouoni Aïla Oyouomi, former spokesperson for the Gabonese presidency, spoke about his arrest, five years of detention, and the power dynamics under Ali Bongo Ondimba. Released in April 2024, Ngouoni described his November 2019 arrest as "nothing but a plot, a political machination." He considers himself "collateral damage" in an effort to remove Brice Laccruche Alihanga, then chief of staff to President Ali Bongo. Ngouoni, who was attached to Laccruche Alihanga's office, became a target in this context. Ngouoni detailed the judicial process against him, stating he was taken directly to solitary confinement at Camp Roux on the day of his arrest and hidden from his lawyers for three days. He was then presented to an investigating judge without a fair hearing, where he felt the outcome was predetermined. He reported pressure from investigators to incriminate Brice Laccruche and was told by the instructing magistrate, "We know you did nothing, but you know it's political, you know it comes from above." Ngouoni refused and was sentenced to eight years. Regarding the betrayal he experienced, Ngouoni stated that the decision could not have been made without the President's approval. He also described manipulation by First Lady Sylvia Bongo, who summoned him to demand the codes for the presidential social media accounts, a maneuver he believes was designed to make him complacent. He criticized Noureddine Bongo, the President'
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Gabon's National Scholarship Agency ANBG announced on April 22 the full settlement of a 14.7 billion FCFA debt owed to private universities. This payment addresses outstanding tuition fees for scholarship students, a long-standing issue that has impacted the operations of private higher education institutions. The Director General of the ANBG, Paule Elisabeth Désirée Mboumba Lassy, detailed measures to normalize financial relations between the state and partner institutions. The debt settlement provides financial relief to private universities, which play a significant role in accommodating Gabonese high school graduates, as public university capacity remains strained. The ANBG, under the Ministry of Higher Education, aims to be the sole point of contact for securing financial flows related to national scholarships and prevent future arrears by establishing a predictable and contractual payment schedule. This initiative is part of a broader effort by the transitional authorities and the government that came to power in August 2023 to improve public financial management and good governance. The settlement of debts to private service providers, including in education and health, is crucial for the state's credibility in the domestic market and for improving the business climate. The ANBG also introduced new measures to strengthen control over the actual enrollment of scholarship students, ensuring payments correspond strictly to active students. This addresses past concerns abo
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The Ensemble pour le Gabon EPG party has filed a challenge with the Constitutional Court against the ordinance reforming Gabon's Nationality Code. This action, initiated this week, brings a politically sensitive matter before the high court, especially as EPG's founder, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, is in pre-trial detention. The appeal directly targets a text adopted by ordinance, a procedure that bypasses traditional parliamentary debate. EPG argues that the ordinance violates the constitutional principle of equality among Gabonese citizens. According to the party, the new code introduces distinctions that could create categories of nationals with unequal rights, particularly regarding access to certain positions or prerogatives. This aligns with broader criticisms from the opposition and civil society, who are concerned about stricter criteria and potential political instrumentalization of nationality law. Bilie-By-Nze's party believes the reform weakens a cornerstone of the Gabonese republican pact, potentially leading to a multi-tiered citizenship by targeting nationality by origin versus acquired nationality, or by modifying associated civic rights. This critique is based on a strict interpretation of constitutional guarantees, which prohibit discrimination based on origin in the exercise of political rights. The filing occurs while the former head of government, a prominent political figure under Ali Bongo Ondimba's presidency before the August 2023 transition, is in pre-
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