By Riches Soberekon
In a statement on Thursday, European (EU) Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell confirmed that, at present, the EU has no plans to evacuate its citizens from Gabon.
Borrell emphasized that the current situation in Gabon is calm and there is no perceived risk of violence or imminent danger.
Gabon, a country in Central Africa, is home to approximately 10,000 EU citizens. However, no EU member state has expressed concern about the safety of its citizens in Gabon, further supporting the decision not to initiate an evacuation.
The calm in Gabon comes after a military coup which resulted in the removal of newly-reelected President Ali Bongo from power. The Bongo family, who have ruled the oil-rich nation for over five decades, have faced allegations of widespread corruption and failure to distribute the country’s oil wealth to its population of around 2 million people.
Despite the political upheaval, EU Foreign Policy Chief Borrell reassured reporters that the situation in Gabon does not warrant an evacuation of EU citizens. However, Borrell did mention that an evacuation was carried out in Niger due to a different set of circumstances.
As the situation in Gabon unfolds, the EU will continue to monitor the safety and well-being of its citizens in the country, he said.
For now, the focus remains on the calm state of affairs and the absence of immediate risks that would necessitate an evacuation.
