According to several sources, the Gabonese Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to the Angolan authorities to announce the return of its ambassador. A reminder officially “for consultations”, says the letter. Disagreements reportedly emerged between the two countries after the August 30 coup. They continued until the summit of the Community of Central African States ECCAS on Friday, which maintained its suspension of Gabon.
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It is perhaps no coincidence that the Angolan president Joao Lourenço is the only head of state in the sub-region that General Oligui Nguema has not yet seen. Officially, it is because of an incompatible agenda on the Angolan side that the meeting has not yet taken place.
In any case, several events would explain this cold spell between the two countries. Various sources first explain that the Angolan ambassador to Gabon would have been rather cautious with the new power following the coup d’état. In addition, the absence of Gabonese officials during the ceremonies for the anniversary of the independence ofAngola organized in Libreville in November would not have pleased Luanda.
ECCAS
Another problem: tensions broke out within the headquarters of the ECCAS, in Gabon, between the employees and the new management embodied by its Angolan secretary general Gilberto da Piedade Verissimo. According to several sources, when he arrived three years ago, he asked for an overhaul of the agents’ contracts and would have given more space to the Angolans in the organization.
Enough to arouse some discontent among the staff. Anger sometimes displayed on networks or WhatsApp groups. The management would have seen it as a destabilizing operation. Gilberto da Piedade Verissimo would also have campaigned for the ECCAS headquarters to move to Malabo.
Friday, during the summit in Equatorial Guinea, the Gabonese press reports that President Lourenço made a quick visit just to vote in favor of maintaining sanctions. The ECCAS has also maintained the suspension of Gabon.