Friday May 16, 2025 |
Hostages including the former Gabonese president, Ali Bongo, his wife, Sylvia and son, Noureddin have been freed by coup leaders in the country after 20 months in captivity.
According to a statement, the release of Bongo, his wife and son came after human rights lawyer Francois Zimeray brought a lawsuit in the French courts against their abductors, alleging torture and kidnapping.
“Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo, aged 62 and 33, flew with the former president to Luanda, Angola, on Thursday night, touching down at approximately 11.30pm local time,” the statement read.
“Their release came following litigation in the French courts and intense lobbying from African Union (AU) leaders in recent days.”
The family’s lawyer Zimeray said following their release: “This release is the result of long-term efforts both from judicial and diplomatic fronts.
“After 20 months of arbitrary and cruel imprisonment and subjected to torture, the family is finally reunited with former president Ali Bongo.”
Zimeray added: “Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo will now finally be able to turn the page, heal and rebuild their lives. We would like to thank all those who, in one way or another, played a part in this outcome.”
Sylvia and Noureddin, both French citizens, were seized in August 2023 and held in underground cells while Bongo was kept under house arrest in a presidential residence.
Coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema had claimed repeatedly in media interviews that while the former president faced no allegations of wrongdoing, Sylvia and Noureddin would stand trial for embezzlement once elections had taken place.
The pair maintained their innocence from the beginning, insisting the charges were politically motivated. No book of evidence was ever presented to them during their period of imprisonment.
Following Oligui’s swearing-in as Gabon’s new president earlier this month, AU leaders stepped up diplomatic efforts to secure the family’s release.
