Gabon
Omar Bongo ruled 42 years (1967-2009), son Ali continued until 2023 coup; oil wealth (60% of revenue) enriched dynasty while one-third lived in poverty.
Gabon spent 56 years under one family's rule—the Bongo dynasty—until a 2023 military coup ended Africa's longest political succession. For half a century, the country exemplified the dirty bargain of Françafrique: French companies extracted oil, the ruling family accumulated billions, and a third of the population lived below the poverty line.
The territory that became Gabon was inhabited by Bantu-speaking peoples—including the Fang, Myene, and Punu—who migrated into the region over centuries. French colonizers arrived in the mid-19th century, establishing Libreville in 1849 as a settlement for freed slaves (its name means "free town"). Gabon became part of French Equatorial Africa, exploited for timber and other resources through concession companies that forced labor from indigenous populations.
Independence came in 1960, but French influence never departed. Léon M'Ba became the first president; when he died in 1967, his protégé Omar Bongo assumed power at age 31. For the next 42 years, Bongo ruled through a combination of patronage, repression, and accommodation with Paris. Gabon's oil industry—primarily operated by French company Elf (later absorbed into TotalEnergies)—generated enormous wealth that flowed to the ruling family and French shareholders. Bongo allegedly maintained a $100 million "secret budget" for French political contributions; French presidents from de Gaulle through Sarkozy counted Gabon as reliable ally.
When Omar Bongo died in 2009, his son Ali Bongo Ondimba—groomed throughout his father's reign—won a contested election. The dynasty continued, but conditions deteriorated. Despite being an OPEC member and one of Africa's major oil producers, with GDP per capita among the continent's highest, Gabon faced serious crisis: one-third of the population below the $5.50 poverty line, 30% unemployment among youth, infrastructure decay outside Libreville. Oil price collapses exposed the economy's failure to diversify; the 2016 election triggered violence when opposition rejected results.
The 2023 coup came minutes after election authorities declared Ali Bongo winner of another disputed vote. Military officers, led by General Bryce Oligui Nguema—notably, Bongo's cousin—announced the dissolution of all state institutions. Bongo, his son Noureddin (a powerful adviser accused of corruption), and several officials were arrested and placed under house arrest. The junta cited democratic rot and economic failure; crowds celebrated in Libreville streets.
The coup was the eighth in former French African colonies within three years, each accompanied by anti-France sentiment. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, and now Gabon expelled French military forces or demanded troop withdrawals. The Françafrique system—whereby Paris maintained influence through compliant rulers, military bases, and the CFA franc currency—was collapsing. As analysts noted, "The Gabonese just want to end the reign of a dynasty that has not improved their economic conditions in five decades."
Through 2026, Gabon navigates a transition whose outcome remains uncertain. General Oligui promised return to civilian rule but set no timeline. The economy remains oil-dependent; the population remains poor; French companies remain invested. Whether the coup represents genuine change or simply transfers power within the same elite—Oligui is, after all, family—depends on whether transition actually produces elections, diversification, and redistribution. The Bongo name may be gone; the structures that sustained it remain.