Gabon coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema is sworn in as interim president during his swearing-in ceremony, in Libreville, Gabon, September 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
Gabon has granted a sweeping general amnesty to individuals involved in the country’s 2019 and 2023 coups, clearing convictions and paving the way for the release of prominent figures including Kelly Ondo Obiang and members of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI).
The decision, adopted during a Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, under President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, applies to all perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and accomplices—civilian and military alike.
According to the government, the measure is aimed at fostering “calm and national reconciliation” and represents a symbolic step toward “definitively turning the page” on these tumultuous events.
Under the order, convictions of CTRI members responsible for ousting Ali Bongo on August 30, 2023, as well as military personnel involved in the failed January 7, 2019 coup, have been annulled.
Among those released will be Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, Dimitry Nze Minkom, and Estimé Bedima, who had received 15-year sentences for briefly occupying the national radio station and calling for a public uprising.
The 2019 coup attempt saw Republican Guard soldiers led by Kelly Ondo Obiang storm Radio Gabon, urging citizens to “save Gabon.”
The poorly coordinated operation was swiftly suppressed, resulting in arrests and lengthy prison terms.
Four years later, General Brice Oligui Nguema successfully led the August 30, 2023 coup, ending Ali Bongo’s tenure shortly after his contested re-election, and later assuming the presidency following a vote in April 2025 widely deemed “free, transparent and credible.”
President Oligui Nguema has previously signalled openness toward national reconciliation. In February 2025, he referenced Kelly Ondo Obiang as his “little brother,” promising not to forget him. The general amnesty fulfills this commitment while forming part of a broader strategy to stabilise Gabon politically.
Beyond the measure, the government has pursued reforms aimed at strengthening national cohesion, reviving strategic economic sectors, addressing fiscal deficits, and safeguarding employment reserved for Gabonese citizens, reinforcing a climate of institutional and social reconstruction across the country.
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