As the school year begins and the country faces a major political change, the Association for the Fight against Ritual Crimes is launching an appeal to the new authorities. Its president, Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, calls for a national awareness campaign to end impunity.
Since the discovery of his son’s mutilated body on a beach in 2005, Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo has fought to ensure that those responsible for these ritual crimes are brought to justice. He now calls on the highest political leaders to take measures to end impunity: “We want justice for all. We have been leading this fight for 18 years, we want to see these businessmen, these politicians answer for their actions before the courts.
The transitional president promised to fight against economic crimes. Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo hopes that this desire will also extend to kidnappings carried out in the name of ritual beliefs: “Organs are taken from victims and used in abominable practices in demonic temples in our country”. According to the association, these practices often aim to obtain wealth and privileges, and are estimated at around a hundred crimes per year, with peaks during turbulent political periods.
However, due to a lack of resources and investigative means, these crimes often go unpunished. Gabon has only four forensic doctors for the entire country, which does not allow for in-depth investigations. This is why Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo is asking that the awareness campaign be carried out in the nine provinces of the country, so that the population is informed and encouraged to file a complaint. He also hopes that the future Penal Code will provide for the imprescriptibility of ritual crimes.
It is essential to confront this problem of ritual crimes, which continues to cause suffering for many families. It is therefore essential to raise awareness among the population, strengthen the means of investigation and ensure that those responsible are punished. The fight against impunity must be an absolute priority for the authorities and collective awareness is necessary to put an end to these barbaric practices. The entire Gabonese society must mobilize against these ritual crimes in order to create a safer and fairer environment for all.
In conclusion, the national awareness campaign and the desire to end impunity are essential measures to fight against ritual crimes in Gabon. It is time for the population to mobilize and for the authorities to take concrete measures to ensure security and justice for all. The fight of Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo is an example to follow, because every life counts and every ritual crime must be condemned. It is high time that Gabon turns the page on this dark period of its history.