Gabon jails eight officers accused of torturing soldier to death

Gabon’s defence ministry said Thursday that eight officers suspected of torturing to death a young soldier accused of stealing had been detained, in a case that has rocked the junta-led country.

Two generals will also be questioned after an emergency meeting presided by coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema, according to a ministry statement read on state TV late Wednesday.

Images of the mutilated body of the soldier, Johan Bounda, at a morgue sparked outcry across the Central African nation.

Authorities scrambled to respond with promises of an inquiry, and Oligui himself visited the victim’s family on Wednesday, Christmas Day.

Prosecutors say Bounda was accused of attempting to rob a superior’s home, with media reports saying he was taken to the headquarters of the military security service, widely known as B2, for torturing.

The junta earlier this month lifted an overnight curfew in force since it seized power in August 2023.

Just days before, police had arrested dozens of young protesters in Libreville for breaching the curfew, with some claiming they had their heads shaved by the authorities as a punishment.

Oligui has promised to return Gabon to civilian rule, and this week a new constitution was decreed after its approval by Gabonese voters in November.

But he has not set a date for new elections, and has made no secret of his presidential ambitions.