Gabonese find refuge in neighboring Cameroon

Gabon's capital Libreville has been rocked by protests and mass arrests since the disputed election results were announced last week. Opposition groups say that between 50 and 100 people have been killed since then, while the government reported only three deaths. According to government sources 1,200 people are currently in police and military custody. And over the past few days, over 100 people crossed over to the Cameroonian border town of Kiossi on the Cameroonian border with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Among the new arrivals is Constance Oyoubi, a 33-year-old, who said she escaped from a police cell in Libreville where she was detained for protesting in support of opposition leader Jean Ping. She believes that incumbent president Ali Bongo will do anything to remain in power. "He does not want to leave power and we are very afraid because Gabon is a very small country. If they start destroying it, I do not know what will happen."

Criticism of western influence

Another new arrival, Brice Bihina, said he also fled from Libreville when the violence escalated. "Gabonese are fighting among themselves and the Bongo dynasty is responsible for what is happening. In Libya, Ghadaffi was chased because it was said that he had overstayed in power." Bihina, however, also thinks that foreign powers may have their hand in the political turmoil. "Relations between France and Gabon have not been good since Bongo's son succeeded his father. Surely, France has an invisible hand in the conflict," he said.

Gabonese businessman, Joseph Mindja, agrees with him. In his view, the French media has been reporting in favor of Ping, who lost the election. According to official results, incumbent president Bongo beat his political opponent Jean Ping by 1.57 percent. Bongo's home province of south-eastern Haut-Ogooue showed a turnout of 99 percent, with 95 percent backing Bongo. EU elections observers noted that they had seen a "clear anomaly" in Bongo's home province. Bongo himself, however, dismissed the reports as a bias towards his opponent and said that there had also been so-called anomalies in Ping's home region.

"What is happening in Gabon is a manifestation of our difficulties to introduce western cultures in Africa," he said. In fact, Mindja believes that the western model of democracy should be cast away entirely in favor of what he terms a more traditional African way of doing politics. "It is not the question of Ali Bongo leaving or staying. It is for the ruling elite in Gabon to enter a consensus on who should lead."

Residents welcome the refugees

With the Gabonese crisis at their doorstep, many Cameroonians are welcoming the new arrivals. Erica Andzama, a 30-year-old business woman and resident of Kiossi opened her home to 15 Gabonese, who are now sleeping in a tent in her courtyard. "They come to Cameroon because they are traumatized, they are running away from the uprising. You know the problems they are facing today in their country, Cameroon may also face the problems one day," Andzama explained. It is currently still unclear how long the political crisis in Gabon will last and so Andzama is doing her best to give the refugees good start. "We give them places to lodge for some time before they start acquainting themselves with the environment. That is what we do," she added.

Gabon has been ruled by the Bongo family since 1967. Thursday, September 8, marks eight days since the announcement of the election results, which is the deadline for the opposition to file any legal complaints about the conduct of the polls.