From her exile, the former first lady of Gabon, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba , spoke in an exclusive interview with France 24. Marked by the fall of her husband Ali Bongo Ondimba's regime, she gives a chilling account of her detention and definitively closes the door to a return to the country.

An exile with no return

When asked about the possibility of returning to Gabon, the former first lady's response was categorical: "Never, never!" Despite the emotional ties she maintains with some relatives who remained there, the trauma seems too deep. For her, Gabon now belongs to the past, a chapter closed with pain.

20 months of ordeal and accusations of torture

Sylvia Bongo revisited the months following the coup led by General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. She denounced the inhumane conditions of detention:

1. Prolonged detention: 20 months spent behind bars alongside his son, Noureddin Bongo.
2. Degrading treatment: She claims that she and her son were victims of "abuse and torture" during this period.
3. Conviction: As a reminder, she was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

A legal counter-attack

Faced with accusations from the new government, Sylvia Bongo pleads political persecution. She specifically refutes the idea that she secretly ran the country during her husband's convalescence.

"I have never been involved in Gabonese politics," she insists, challenging her accusers to produce tangible evidence or official documents proving her interference in state affairs.

Determined to clear her name, the former first lady does not intend to let the matter rest. She has announced her intention to appeal to international courts to contest her conviction and obtain reparations for the abuse she claims to have suffered.