Gabonese students studying in Ghana on Thursday morning besieged the French Embassy demanding the resignation of President Ali Bongo.
About 200 students arrived in about four buses calling for the president to step down from office because they believe he has done nothing to improve the lives of the people of Gabon.
Some called him “a dictator” and “a killer” and shared personal experiences about family members who have suffered from Ali Bongo’s regime.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon has been narrowly re-elected, according to results released by election officials on Wednesday.
Mr. Bongo won last weekend’s election by receiving 49.8 per cent of the votes and edging out his opponent, Jean Ping, by less than two percentage points, according to the results declared by the Interior Ministry.
A constitutional court must certify the vote for it to become official.
Supporters of Mr. Ping, a former chairman of the African Union, who received 48.2 percent of the vote, declared the results fraudulent and demanded a recount.
Gabon’s capital, Libreville, was bracing for violence as election observers pleaded for peace.
The students in Accra were not happy with the turn of events back home as they almost surrounded the Embassy, which is close to Ghana’s Presidential lodge, to register their displeasure.
“We are here because we do not want Ali Bongo as president. We all know he didn’t win the elections and we know he is a dictator. He won the elections fraudulently and we want him out immediately,” said one.
“The man is just killing people in Gabon and we are getting calls from back home that our brothers and sisters are being killed and it’s affecting us studying here in Ghana,” another said.
“We are Gabonese and what we are saying is that we don’t like this regime which has been there for 15 years. We can’t even go back to our country because we are afraid to do so. There are no proper schools or infrastructure in our country which makes it difficult for us to live and study there that is why there are so many of us studying in Ghana,” another said.
“We don’t want him [any] more because he is a killer and only knows how to kill people. The students here have all missed their school time to come and protest for the removal of that man who is causing a lot of pain to our country”.
By Nana Afrane Asante|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: @3Newsgh