Ousted Gabonese Leader Ali Bongo Released, Relocates to Angola with Family

Former Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been released from house arrest and has arrived in Luanda, the capital of Angola, alongside his family, according to a statement from the Angolan presidency on Friday.

Bongo, who was ousted in a military coup in August 2023 after his family ruled Gabon for over five decades, had been held under house arrest in Libreville since his removal from office.

Photos shared on the Angolan presidency’s official Facebook page showed the former leader being welcomed at the airport in Luanda. “The Bongo family has been released and has just arrived in Luanda,” the statement read.

The relocation follows diplomatic engagements between Angolan President Joao Lourenco and Gabon’s transitional leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, the statement added, though further details were not disclosed.

Nguema, a former military chief, led the August 2023 coup and was officially sworn in as president in May 2025 after securing nearly 95% of the vote in April’s election.

Ali Bongo’s wife, Sylvia, a French national, and their son Noureddin had also been in detention on accusations of embezzling public funds. Recent Gabonese media reports indicated the pair had been transferred from detention cells to a residence in Libreville prior to the family’s departure.

The Bongo family’s exit marks another chapter in the country’s political transition since the end of the long-standing Bongo dynasty.