Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the president of the Gabonese transition, recently visited Yaoundé in Cameroon. This visit was of great importance, since it was the first official visit of President Oligui Nguema since he took power in Libreville three months ago.
President Oligui Nguema’s visit to Yaoundé was highly anticipated, given that he had already visited most other countries in the sub-region. Some observers questioned relations between Gabon and Cameroon since President Oligui Nguema took power, considering the condemnations of the coup d’état by the Yaoundé government. However, a source close to the Cameroonian government was keen to emphasize the long tradition of friendship between the two countries and affirmed that there had never been a break in their relations.
The meeting between President Oligui Nguema and President Paul Biya took place in the afternoon. During this meeting, President Oligui Nguema likely explained the motivations for the coup that brought him to power and sought to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. On the Cameroonian side, this meeting was considered an opportunity to maintain a constructive dialogue with Libreville and other countries in the sub-region.
Before his visit, the High Commissioner of Gabon to Cameroon encouraged the Gabonese community to warmly welcome President Oligui Nguema during his visit. However, due to time constraints, President Oligui Nguema only stayed in Yaoundé for a few hours before leaving directly for Libreville after his meeting with President Biya.
This visit marks an important step in the consolidation of relations between Gabon and Cameroon, as well as in the reaffirmation of President Oligui Nguema as Gabonese head of state. It also demonstrates the efforts of President Oligui Nguema to strengthen ties of cooperation and dialogue with neighboring countries.