CASPER
New member
LIBREVILLE, Gabon – Hundreds of soldiers deployed around Gabon's soccer stadium for a World Cup qualifier Saturday as the country's new president arrived and postelection violence continued for a third straight day.
Ali Bongo arrived at the stadium in a convoy of SUVs. He walked up to the VIP booth, then stepped forward to salute the crowd, wearing a cap saying "Gabon."
On Friday, the country's constitutional court declared Bongo the winner of last weekend's divisive presidential race. Soldiers and riot police set up a perimeter around the stadium and stood guard at every entrance. Fans for the match against Cameroon were warned they would only be allowed inside if they had bought a ticket Friday.
The match began and the mood inside the stadium was tense. An Associated Press reporter saw police beat one man who tried to enter without a ticket.
Bongo, 50, is accused of having rigged last weekend's election in which he ran against 17 other contenders. He is the eldest son of Omar Bongo, the country's late dictator who died in June after a 41-year rule. Omar Bongo had been the longest-serving president until his death.
The special election was called to replace the late president, and many had hoped that it would mark the country's first chance at democracy.
Just before the election results were announced Thursday, security forces fired tear gas outside the election commission where hundreds of opposition supporters had staged a 21-hour protest.
The country's top three opposition leaders who say the election was rigged have all gone into hiding, releasing statements through their allies to say they fear security forces are trying to kill them.
The country's No. 2 city Port Gentil, the hub of Gabon's oil industry, devolved into chaos, with angry protesters torching a police station, a market and the French Consulate over the past few days.
French oil company Total said it evacuated employees and their families from Port Gentil to the capital, Libreville, amid spiraling violence. One of Total's facilities was torched overnight, said Dianney Madztou, the editor-in-chief of local TV station Top Bendje who saw the smoldering rubble.
Total spokeswoman Phenelope Semavoine said only a minimal number of employees had remained in the coastal oil hub. She called the withdrawal temporary and said Total had no plans to pull its employees out of the African country altogether.
Looters continued to attack shops overnight in Port Gentil and at least two people have been killed during sporadic shooting since Thursday, the day the election results were first announced, said Madztou, who saw both bodies.
The shooting, he said, was especially intense in the early hours of Saturday, apparently as security forces were flown in from the capital.
Ali Bongo is seen by many as a usurper of power. He was nicknamed "Baby Zeus" when he was a child because of his heir apparent status. The elder Bongo was viewed by many as the father of the nation and although he amassed a stunning fortune, including 66 private bank accounts and over 45 homes in the names of his immediate family, he was mostly tolerated and seen as a vestige from another era, when Africa was ruled by autocrats.
Ali Bongo arrived at the stadium in a convoy of SUVs. He walked up to the VIP booth, then stepped forward to salute the crowd, wearing a cap saying "Gabon."
On Friday, the country's constitutional court declared Bongo the winner of last weekend's divisive presidential race. Soldiers and riot police set up a perimeter around the stadium and stood guard at every entrance. Fans for the match against Cameroon were warned they would only be allowed inside if they had bought a ticket Friday.
The match began and the mood inside the stadium was tense. An Associated Press reporter saw police beat one man who tried to enter without a ticket.
Bongo, 50, is accused of having rigged last weekend's election in which he ran against 17 other contenders. He is the eldest son of Omar Bongo, the country's late dictator who died in June after a 41-year rule. Omar Bongo had been the longest-serving president until his death.
The special election was called to replace the late president, and many had hoped that it would mark the country's first chance at democracy.
Just before the election results were announced Thursday, security forces fired tear gas outside the election commission where hundreds of opposition supporters had staged a 21-hour protest.
The country's top three opposition leaders who say the election was rigged have all gone into hiding, releasing statements through their allies to say they fear security forces are trying to kill them.
The country's No. 2 city Port Gentil, the hub of Gabon's oil industry, devolved into chaos, with angry protesters torching a police station, a market and the French Consulate over the past few days.
French oil company Total said it evacuated employees and their families from Port Gentil to the capital, Libreville, amid spiraling violence. One of Total's facilities was torched overnight, said Dianney Madztou, the editor-in-chief of local TV station Top Bendje who saw the smoldering rubble.
Total spokeswoman Phenelope Semavoine said only a minimal number of employees had remained in the coastal oil hub. She called the withdrawal temporary and said Total had no plans to pull its employees out of the African country altogether.
Looters continued to attack shops overnight in Port Gentil and at least two people have been killed during sporadic shooting since Thursday, the day the election results were first announced, said Madztou, who saw both bodies.
The shooting, he said, was especially intense in the early hours of Saturday, apparently as security forces were flown in from the capital.
Ali Bongo is seen by many as a usurper of power. He was nicknamed "Baby Zeus" when he was a child because of his heir apparent status. The elder Bongo was viewed by many as the father of the nation and although he amassed a stunning fortune, including 66 private bank accounts and over 45 homes in the names of his immediate family, he was mostly tolerated and seen as a vestige from another era, when Africa was ruled by autocrats.