Gabon opposition leader and former PM Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze arrested

Gabon authorities have arrested main opposition leader and vocal government critic Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, his political party said in a statement on Thursday.

Bilie-By-Nze was detained at his home late on Wednesday, his Together For Gabon (EPG) party said, adding that it was carried out in “conditions that we consider arbitrary, brutal and manifestly contrary to the fundamental principles of the rule of law.”

The party said the arrest is linked to a 2008 event for which the politician was at the head of the organising committee.

The case relates to “a debt that the Gabonese government allegedly failed to pay in connection with the organization of the Festival of Cultures,” the party added.

EPG condemned the arrest as a “serious political manoeuvre” aimed at “silencing a major critical voice.”

Bilie-By-Nze held several government posts under former Gabonese president Ali Bongo and served as prime minister from January to August 2023, when a coup deposed Bongo.

He was also the runner-up in last year’s presidential election, coming far behind president-elect Brice Oligui Nguema, who won with more than 94% of the vote.

In recent months, Bilie-By-Nze has opposed a suspension of social media introduced in February and has criticised the adoption by decree of a reform of the nationality laws.

The measures were introduced as Gabon’s new administration confronted agitation including a strike by teachers.