United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday expressed deep concern about reports of arson and clashes between protesters and security forces in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, following the official announcement of provisional results of the presidential election in the country.
The UN chief also called on all concerned actors to refrain from further acts of violence that could undermine peace and stability of the country.
“He also calls on the authorities to ensure that the national security forces exercise maximum restraint in their response to protests,” the spokesperson said. “He reiterates his call on all political leaders to address their differences peacefully and to address any disputes they may have through existing constitutional and legal channels.”
On Tuesday, in telephone conversations with the Gabonese leaders vying for the country’s presidency, the Secretary-General had voiced his concerns over early calls on the polls results, outside of any official process and had urged them to impress upon their supporters the need to exercise restraint.
The UN chief has asked his Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, to accompany Gabon’s political stakeholders in their efforts to calm the situation and to peacefully resolve the contentious issues emanating from the electoral process. It added that the Secretary-General will continue to monitor the situation closely.
President Ali Bongo was reported to have won the election with 49.8% of the vote against 48.2% for Jean Ping. The results show that the margin of President Bongo’s victory was just 5,594 votes out of a total 627,805 registered voters.
On Wednesday night, Gabon’s national assembly building in the capital was set ablaze, as protestors demonstrated against the narrow victory of President Bongo.
Source: PANA
