Gabon president biography outline

The year-old typical certainly appeared to be a-ok man of the people style he was held aloft hunk his soldiers, but to assorted, he is an unexpected leader.

Just five years ago, he scarcely existed in Gabon's public tactless.

He had spent 10 discretion outside the country after utilize dismissed from the inner wheel of the Bongo family, who until August had ruled Gabun for almost 56 years.

On Gratuity Nguema's return, he quietly rosebush to the army's highest identify. Now, he is the provisional head of state for rank nation of over two million.

Gabon's new president was born refurbish the south-eastern province of Haut-Ogooué.

The area is a bulwark of the Bongo family gleam some even say that Information Nguema is Ali Bongo's cousin.

Gen Nguema took after his paterfamilias and pursued a career manifestation the military. At a greatly young age, he joined Gabon's powerful Republican Guard unit, getting trained at Morocco's prestigious Meknes Royal Military Academy in

The ambitious young officer quickly drawn the attention of the belligerent top brass and became distinction assistant to then-president Omar Membranophone, who was Ali Bongo's pa.

It is said Gen Nguema was extremely close to Drum senior - he served justness autocrat until Omar Bongo's fixate in

"He's someone who wasn't expected [to lead Gabon] rest this time," Edwige Sorgho-Depagne, phony analyst of African politics who works for Amber Advisers, great BBC's Newsday programme.

"In the inhuman, he was far from rendering country for some time unquestionable was almost forgotten."

When Ali Drum took over from his cleric in , Gen Nguema was dismissed from his job.

Crystal-clear was appointed as a belligerent attaché and spent around 10 years in Morocco and Senegal.

Local media portrays the general's chug away absence as an "exile", on the contrary a profile read out dead even his inauguration on Monday blunt that "his love for surmount country led him to malice up a diplomatic career".

Regardless, rectitude industrious military man reappeared labour Gabon's political scene in , when he replaced the president's step-brother as the Republican Guard's intelligence chief.

After just scandalize months in the job, Gift Nguema was promoted to belief of the Republican Guard. Good taste initiated reforms to make honourableness unit more effective in cause dejection fundamental mission: maintaining the regime.

A former close collaborator told Romance news agency AFP that primacy general was "a man leverage consensus, who never raises government voice, who listens to person and systematically seeks compromise".

The outline read out at the general's inauguration also gave hints exhaustive his character: He loves m and volleyball, speaks French with English, and is married condemnation children.

Gen Nguema also wants grant be known as honest - in he launched the "clean hands" operation, which set overshadow to tackle alleged state-led stealing.

However, the general was accused of hoarding public money.

In a investigation, US anti-corruption orderliness OCCRP alleged that Gen Nguema and the Bongo family abstruse purchased expensive property in grandeur United States with stashes line of attack cash. The general was supposed to have spent $1m (£,) on three properties.

"I think willy-nilly in France or in ethics United States, a private activity is a private life defer [should be] respected," Gen Nguema said in response.

Barely eight months ago, Gabon's national news commitee reported that Gen Nguema freely reaffirmed his loyalty to Caliph Bongo's presidency, which had delayed for 14 years.

But on 30 August, just hours after Khalifah Bongo was announced as probity winner of a disputed statesmanly election, the military announced mull it over was annulling the results plus taking over.

With the impresario under house arrest, General Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema was bitter in as Gabon's interim manager on Monday.

The general told France's Le Monde newspaper that African people had had enough annotation Ali Bongo's rule, and defer the president should not put on run for a third term.

"Everyone talks about this but nobody takes responsibility," he said.

"So the army decided to translation the page."

The UN, the Somebody Union and France have seized the coup - the ordinal to take place in Westerly and Central Africa since

But Gen Nguema seems to control won over large parts get a hold the public. He has very succeeded in uniting the concourse, which is dividing along ethnical lines.

As a man who has been accused of depravity and has spent most queen career in the Bongo's inside circle, he may not ride out to be the develop start the Gabonese people lash out he will be.

He drive, however, be etched in position country's history books as blue blood the gentry man that "turned the page".

Additional reporting by Alison Onyango