Former Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba and members of his immediate family have been released from detention and have relocated to Angola, according to an announcement made Friday by African Union spokesperson João Lourenço.
The Angolan government published a photo of Bongo’s arrival, confirming the family’s relocation.
Bongo, who served as president from 2009 until his ousting in August 2023, was overthrown by his cousin, General Brice Oligui Nguema, head of the Republican Guard. The coup occurred shortly after Bongo was declared the winner of what observers described as a contested election.
Nguema subsequently appointed himself interim president and established a military-led transitional authority known as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions. That transition formally ended on May 2, 2025, after Nguema won presidential elections held on April 12, restoring full civilian rule.
Following the coup, Bongo, his French-born wife Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, and their son Noureddin Bongo Valentin were arrested and charged with embezzlement, treason, corruption, and money laundering. Several senior aides were also detained.
Bongo and his son were later moved to house arrest, while Sylvia remained in custody. Bongo, who suffered a stroke in 2018, was released on medical grounds. His wife was accused by Gabonese authorities of exploiting his health to facilitate the embezzlement of public funds through his inner circle.
In September 2024, Bongo announced his retirement from politics in what was widely seen as a formal abdication. In a public statement, he accepted responsibility for the failures of his administration and pleaded for the release of his wife.
On April 30, the African Union passed a resolution calling for the release of the Bongo family.
The Bongo dynasty had ruled Gabon for over five decades. Ali Bongo’s father, Omar Bongo, came to power in 1967 with the backing of French President Charles de Gaulle, following the death of Gabon’s first president, Léon M’ba. Upon Omar Bongo’s death in 2009, Ali Bongo assumed the presidency.