Ten years after the raid on Jean Ping’s headquarters, victims in Gabon still demand justice

On August 31, 2026, Gabon marked a decade since the violent raid on Jean Ping’s campaign headquarters in Libreville, a pivotal and highly disputed moment of the 2016 post-election crisis.

Following the presidential election on August 27, 2016, which officially declared incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba the winner, the opposition led by Jean Ping contested the results. Amid soaring political tensions, security forces stormed the opposition leader’s headquarters during the night of August 31 to September 1, 2016.

Numerous witnesses and civil society groups reported that the raid resulted in deaths, injuries, arbitrary arrests, and forced disappearances. At the time, government officials defended the assault, claiming they were searching for suspects involved in setting fire to the National Assembly who had allegedly sought refuge inside the opposition headquarters.

A decade later: Remembrance and the fight for accountability

Marking this tenth anniversary, the citizen coalition Tournons La Page Gabon (TLP-Gabon) has renewed demands for truth and accountability for those affected by the violence. The group emphasizes that critical questions remain unanswered:

• Who authorized the assault?
• What is the precise number of casualties?
• What formal investigations have been conducted?
• Where are the remains of those reported missing?

TLP-Gabon maintains that genuine national reconciliation is impossible without legal clarity regarding these events. To honor the victims, the coalition launched a commemorative campaign titled “10 years, 10 faces” to personalize and highlight their stories.

A decade later, the families and survivors continue to wait for justice. To discuss this issue, we bring together four distinct perspectives:

• Virgilio Foumangoye, economist and sustainable development consultant.
• Marc Ona Essangui, current fifth vice-president of the Senate and former president of Tournons la Page Internationale.

Frédéric Samy Passalet, author, essayist, and holder of a PhD in Francophone literature specializing in African conflict prevention. He wrote the essay Les marionnettes de Poutine en Afrique.

• Rodolphe Chauvet, criminal defense attorney at the Paris bar, collaborating with William Bourdon on the French legal proceedings of the case.

To listen to the complete discussion, click on the image above.