Gabon coup a further setback to France’s strategy in Africa

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Emmanuel Macron hailed France’s strong ties with 'dynamic and creative' Gabon when he met president Ali Bongo in Libreville in March. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images Emmanuel Macron hailed France’s strong ties with “dynamic and creative” Gabon and clasped hands with its president Ali Bongo at a deforestation summit in Libreville in March, striking a warm tone that differed from the strained relations Paris has with many of its former colonies. Five months later Bongo is under house arrest after being ousted in a coup that eliminated one of France’s few remaining allies in the region and dealt another...