France welcomes Gabon's Oligui as mineral and military ties defy wider rift in Africa

Lead

Gabon's President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema begins a three-day official visit to France on Monday, underlining the close relationship between Paris and one of its few remaining key allies in Francophone Africa, as reported by AllAfrica and RFI — English.

Oligui Nguema, on his second official visit to France, will be joined by an 80-strong delegation of business chiefs and political officials. Gabon presidency spokesperson Théophane Nzame-Nze Biyoghe told reporters that the trip "will be an opportunity for the two heads of state... to follow up on the agreements signed in Libreville last November."

Coverage comparison

Both AllAfrica and RFI — English reported the visit in similar terms, framing it as a step in Oligui's rehabilitation after he seized power in an August 2023 coup that ended more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family. He was elected president in April 2025 after winning nearly 95 percent of votes.

The two outlets also highlighted the strategic importance of the visit in the context of France's waning influence in Francophone Africa, particularly in the Sahel region where the military-led governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have broken with Paris. Gabon, however, has maintained close ties with its former colonial power.

Both reports quoted political scientist Bergès Mietté of the International University of Libreville, who told RFI: "The sky has been cloudless between Libreville and Paris since the coup. This visit confirms the idea that everything is going very well between the two states."

Key claims

• Oligui Nguema is on his second official visit to France, accompanied by an 80-strong delegation of business chiefs and political officials.
• The visit follows a May 2024 trip to Paris while Oligui was transitional president, and a November 2025 visit to Libreville by French President Emmanuel Macron to mark the end of the transition.
• Talks are expected to focus on manganese, with Gabon being one of the world's biggest producers. Gabon announced last year that it wanted to ban the export of raw manganese from 2029 and develop a local processing industry.
• A new defence agreement could also be signed after France reorganised its military presence in Gabon, reducing troop numbers at its military base in Libreville from more than 1,000 to around 100 soldiers.
• Concerns have grown over repression in Gabon, including social networks being cut off and the main opposition leader being in jail.
• Mietté said granting Oligui a state visit reflects French acceptance of Gabon's post-coup political order, adding that "Since the coup, without any prior rupture, Gabon has clearly chosen a path of continuity with France."

Perspectives

Gabon presidency: Spokesperson Théophane Nzame-Nze Biyoghe described the visit as an opportunity for the two heads of state to follow up on agreements signed in Libreville last November.

Political scientist Bergès Mietté: The visit confirms that relations between Gabon and France are going very well, and that Gabon has chosen a path of continuity with France. He also noted that French acceptance of the post-coup order is reflected in the state visit.