Brice Oligui Nguema

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema (French pronunciation: [bʁis klɔ.tɛʁ ɔ.li.gi ŋgɛ.ma]; born 3 March 1975) is a Gabonese military officer serving as President of Gabon, chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions and the Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard. He is a member of the Bongo family and played a key part in overthrowing his cousin Ali Bongo during the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état.

Brigade General Brice Oligui
Oligui in 2024
President of Gabon
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 January 2025
Prime Minister	Raymond Ndong Sima
Vice President	Joseph Owondault Berre
Preceded by	Himself
Transitional President of Gabon
In office 30 August 2023 – 17 January 2025
Prime Minister	Raymond Ndong Sima
Vice President	Joseph Owondault Berre[1]
Preceded by	Ali Bongo
Succeeded by	Himself
Chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions
In office 30 August 2023 – 15 January 2025
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position established
Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard
Incumbent
Assumed office 2020
Preceded by	Grégoire Kouna
Succeeded by	Antoine Balekidra
Personal details
Born	(1975-03-03) 3 March 1975 (age 49)[2] Ngouoni, Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon[3]
Spouse	Zita Nyangue Oligui
Alma mater	Omar Bongo University Meknes Royal Military Academy
Military service
Branch/service	Gabonese Army
Rank	Brigade general[4]

Early life

The son of a Teke mother and Fang military officer,^[5][3] Oligui was born in Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon, which was regarded as a stronghold of the ruling Bongo family.^[6] Via his mother, he is a cousin of former President Ali Bongo.^[7] Oligui was mostly raised by his mother and her family in Haut-Ogooué,^[6][8] and studied at Omar Bongo University.^[9]

Career

Oligui studied at Meknes Royal Military Academy in Morocco.^[10] He served as an aide-de-camp to President Omar Bongo until his death in 2009. He then served as a military attaché at the Gabonese embassies in Morocco and Senegal.^[11]

In October 2018, he was recalled to Gabon where he replaced President Ali Bongo's half-brother Colonel Frédéric Bongo at the head of the intelligence service of the Republican Guard.^[6][12] He was then promoted to Brigadier general in April 2019.^[6] In 2021 he restarted Operation Mamba, a campaign to arrest corrupt officials.^[13]

He took over the head of the Gabonese Republican Guard in April 2020, replacing General Grégoire Kouna, a cousin of then President Ali Bongo.^[14] He significantly increased the Special Interventions Section (SIS), a special unit placed under the direct authority of the President, increasing it from around thirty to more than 300 elements.^[12] He also composed a song which included the line "I would defend my president with honour and loyalty".^[11]

According to a 2020 Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation, he owns several properties in the United States worth more than $1 million^[15] and also helped expand the Bongos' overseas businesses. Asked about these dealings, he said they were a "private affair".^[11]

Officials of Bongo's regime and others who had interacted with Oligui described him as "fairly intelligent man, easy to talk to", "discreet" and "a man of consensus" who is "very appreciated by his men".^[6]

Presidency

Main article: 2023 Gabonese coup d'état

Following the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état which overthrew President Ali Bongo, the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions named Oligui as the interim president of Gabon in an announcement aired on state television.^{[16][17][18][19][10]} He was later seen on the shoulders of jubilant army personnel calling him the "President".^[20]

In an interview with Le Monde later in the day, he referred to Bongo as "retired", and said that the military had staged the coup due to discontent that had been growing in the country since Bongo's stroke in 2018, his decision to run for a third term, the disregarding of the country's constitution and the conduct of the election.^[21] His appointment as interim president was later confirmed by other generals,^[22] and he was formally sworn in as "transitional president" at the Presidential Palace on 4 September.^[23][24] In his inaugural address, he pledged to hold "free, transparent" elections but did not give an exact date as to when. He also announced the formation of a new government in the coming days and proposed new electoral legislation, a new penal code, a referendum on a new constitution, and the release of all political prisoners.^[25]

In October 2023, Oligui announced that he would give up his salary as president and rely instead on his wages as commander of the Republican Guard.^[26]

Personal life

His brother-in-law Régis Onanga Ndiaye is his Minister for Foreign Affairs.^[27]

References

1. "Gabon: Joseph Owondault Berre nommé vice-président de la transition". ACP (in French). 12 September 2023.
2. Olivier, Mathieu (30 October 2023). "Au Gabon, Brice tout-puissant, tombeur des Bongo". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
3. "Gabon coup: General Oligui leads the charge as Bongo clan rivalries reach boiling point". Africa Intelligence. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
4. "Putsch au Gabon : le général Oligui prêtera serment lundi, l'opposition réclame le pouvoir". leparisien.fr (in French). 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
5. "Who is General Oligui Nguema, Gabon's new strongman?". Africanews. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
6. "General Brice Oligui Nguema, the man named to lead Gabon after coup". France 24. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
7. Mednick, Sam; Goma, Yves Laurent (4 September 2023). "Gabon's military leader is sworn in as head of state after ousting the president last week". AP News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
8. "Putsch au Gabon : qui est le Général Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, nouvel homme fort du pays ?". Dakaractu (in French). Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
9. "21 facts to know about General Nguema, Gabon's new military leader". PM News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
10. "Putsch au Gabon: qui est le général Brice Clotaire, formé à l'Académie de Meknès?". H24info.ma (in French). 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
11. "Who is Brice Oligui Nguema, alleged coup leader in Gabon?". Aljazeera. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
12. Mondafrique, La redaction de (30 August 2023). "Coup d'état Gabon, notre portrait du général Brice Oligui Nguema, patron de la Garde Républicaine". Mondafrique (in French). Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
13. "GABON : Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema resurrects Operation Mamba – 20/11/2019 – West Africa Newsletter". Africa Intelligence. 20 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
14. "JUST-IN: Col. Brice Nguema Is New Gabonese Leader, Replaces Ali Bongo". 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
15. Zalan, Emmanuel Freudenthal, Roshanak Taghavi, and Kira. "Gabon's First Family Stashed Cash in DC Property". OCCRP. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. "Qui est Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, le Général à la tête de la transition gabonaise ?" (in French). 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
17. "General Nguema appointed transitional president of Gabon following coup". Anadolu Agency. Kigali, Rwanda. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
18. "Qui est Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, le Général à la tête de la transition gabonaise ?". Cameroun Actuel (in French). 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
19. Agbehonou, Kané; edem.fiadjoe (30 August 2023). "Qui est Brice Oligui Nguema, le général à la tête du Coup d'État au Gabon ?". AfrikBuzz (in French). Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
20. "Gabon military officers claim to have seized power after election". CNN. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
21. "Gabon's coup-leading general says President Bongo has been 'retired'". Le Monde. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
22. "Gabon coup leaders name General Brice Oligui Nguema as new leader". BBC. 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
23. "Gabon coup leader Brice Nguema sworn in as president". BBC. 4 September 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
24. "Gabon coup leader takes presidential oath and promises 'free' elections". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 4 September 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
25. Naadi, Thomas (4 September 2023). "Gabon coup leader Brice Nguema vows free elections – but no date". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
26. "Gabon junta leader turns down presidential salary". Africanews. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
27. "Gabon : General Oligui Nguema's government looks to balance old and new". Africa Intelligence. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.

Political offices
Preceded by Ali Bongo	Transitional President of Gabon 2023–present	Incumbent