More information have been disseminated in Gabon as coup leaders have announced the arrest of one of President Ali Bongo’s sons.
The president’s oldest son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, who is believed to be 31 years old, has reportedly been detained, according to the French news agency AFP.
According to Radio France Internationale, Valentin was appointed “co-ordinator of presidential affairs” in 2019 and held the position for 21 months.
The chief of staff for the president, Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, as well as two other presidential advisers and the two most senior members of the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) are also rumored to have been detained.
According to the military, the six are charged with treason, theft, corruption, and forging the president’s signature, among other offenses.
