THE relationship remains healthy, officials were quick to stress. It was a “non-event for us”, French diplomats insisted. France continues to be “extremely attached” to its relationship with Gabon, the foreign ministry made clear. After hurried meetings in Paris and Libreville on January 18th, any “misunderstanding” appears to have been quietly resolved. Nevertheless, the short spat between the central African nation and its former colonial ruler was revealing.
It began with a remark made by the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, during a television interview on the evening of January 16th. Asked whether the president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, had been democratically elected in 2009 when he took office, Mr Valls replied, “No, not as I understand it.” The Gabonese government, furious that Mr Valls appeared to be questioning the president’s legitimacy, responded by announcing that the country’s ambassador in Paris, Germain Ngoyo Moussavou, was to be immediately recalled to Libreville, the Gabonese capital.
By now he was used to it. This was the third time Mr Moussavou has been...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1PON32I
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