Gabon - 44.79
113
A benevolent dictator is still a dictator
The Bongo family are ostensibly typical third-world dictators. Omar Bongo ruled Gabon for forty-two years, from a governmental change in 1967 until his death in 2009. Bongo, and his son Ali, have ruled the country with an iron fist for decades. They have pilfered millions of dollars from the country, often to the nation’s detriment, and have often redirected money into personal projects (such as Omar Bongo’s expansion and renaming of his hometown). However, the Bongos have ruled differently than the Amins and Mugabes of the world, setting up Gabon differently from the Ugandas and Zimbabwes of the world. Gabon is significantly more stable than most of its neighbors in Central Africa and is also significantly wealthier. Despite the oil resources of Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon, and the committed democracy of São Tomé and Príncipe, Gabon remains the wealthiest country in the region by a country mile. This is in part because, despite the Bongo family’s consistent commitment to greed, they understand how to administer a country. Gabon has avoided significant amounts of political unrest simply because the Bongo family has kept the Gabonaise people just contented enough to avoid an uprising. While the country is an absolute dictatorship, the people are generally free to express criticism of the government. Additionally, the Bongo family’s pilfering of the country’s wealth has not made enough of an impact to lag the country’s economic development. Gabon has far and away the most developed economy in Central Africa, primarily due to the country’s oil reserves (which are managed by the government). While Gabon is far from perfect and its continued lack of commitment to democracy is concerning, it is an interesting case study on the efficacy of a benevolent dictatorship.
Human Rights - 48
Gabon has fully abolished the death penalty. The Gabonaise government has refused to investigate the disappearance of two university students. Both students were members of the Human Rights League and were open dissenters of the government. Beyond that, the government’s motivation is largely unknown as the Gabonaise government does not have a track record of disappearing dissenters. The Ombudsman’s Office received several credible reports of torture in 2020, with these reports primarily originating from Libreville Central Prison. Several pre-trial detainees claim that they were tortured into confessing. While the Ombudsman’s Office investigated several reports of torture throughout the year, impunity remains a serious issue among security forces. The government is currently investigating reports of sexual abuse by Gabonese UN Peacekeepers in the DRC. Trade unionist Jean Bosco was arbitrarily arrested and detained without charge for several days. He was held for three times the forty-eight-hour limit and was charged with terrorism and conspiracy after six days in custody. Pascal Ogouyou, the Secretary-General of the Heritage and Modernity Party remains in custody. He was charged with “provocation and instigation of acts likely to provoke demonstrations against the authority of the state.” Ogouyou has no trial date and has remained in detention since 2017. According to Human Rights Watch, five other political prisoners remain in detention in Gabon. “Conviction of contempt of the president or of any government official” is punishable by up to five years in prison, but this law rarely sees enforcement. The government occasionally uses libel and slander laws to suppress dissenting journalists. Homosexuality was legalized in 2020 but LGBT Gabonaise have no other rights or protections. Abortion is legal to save the woman’s life and in cases of rape, incest, and fetal impairment.
Democracy - 5
The president is directly elected in thoroughly rigged elections and he holds near absolute executive authority. The Bongo family has been in power since 1967 and term limits were officially abolished in 2003. Opposition groups are free to exist but opposition boycotts are so common that the incumbent frequently runs unopposed.
Freedom - 46
The government generally allows open criticism but has seemingly arbitrarily shut down certain newspapers. The government suspended a prominent opposition newspaper for three months for reporting on the alleged poor health of President Bongo. Trade unionist Jean Bosco was arbitrarily detained for several days and was held for three times the forty-eight hour limit before being charged with conspiracy and terrorism after six days in detention. Pascal Ogouyou, the Secretary-General of the opposition Heritage and Modernity Party remains in detention on charges of “provocation and instigation of acts likely to provoke demonstrations against the authority of the state.” Ogouyou has no trial date and has remained in detention since 2017. According to Human Rights Watch, five other political prisoners remain in detention in Gabon. “Conviction of contempt of the president or of any government official” is punishable by up to five years in prison. The government has occasionally used libel and slander laws to silence journalists. Gabon’s only prominent university is government-owned and censored but private schools in the country do not face censorship. While the government is not known to possess a mass surveillance network, the government is known to surveil members of the opposition. Most are generally free to express dissenting opinions of the government regardless. Trade unionists are frequently harassed by the government. All drugs are illegal in Gabon, but laws regulating cannabis and prescription drugs are seldom enforced. While gun ownership licenses are seldom issued, they can be obtained through bribery.
Economy - 62
Health - 55
Gabon has a life expectancy of 67 years and an infant mortality rate of 3.1%. 15% of Gabonaise are obese and 3% are malnourished. Gabon’s semi-universal healthcare system covers the vast majority of the Gabonaise population and healthcare across the country is of a generally high quality. 85% of Gabonaise have access to clean, running water but there is a large discrepancy between urban and rural parts of the country. In urban centers nearly 100% of the population has access to clean, running water while in rural areas it is closer to 50%. Gabon has major issues with HIV/AIDS, facing the fifteenth highest HIV prevalence in the world at 3.8%. While Gabon struggles with a number of mosquito-borne tropical illnesses, the country’s relatively advanced healthcare system has made this less of an issue than it is for other countries in the region.
Corruption - 51
Gabonaise courts are highly subject to political pressure but are not particularly corrupt. Police corruption at road checkpoints is common. Police extortion at road checkpoints is not uncommon but police corruption in Gabon is generally less common than in the rest of the region, largely because Gabonaise police are paid a comparably liveable wage. Gabonaise public services are also less corrupt than the rest of the region, though bribes are sometimes exchanged to obtain public services in a timely manner. Gabonaise customs administration regularly exports bribes from importers and exporters. Migrants are often harassed by border patrol. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery. Migrants are often harassed by border patrol. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery Gun ownership licenses, which are difficult to obtain otherwise, can be obtained very easily through bribery. Gabon has one of the lowest rates of day-to-day corruption in all of Africa, large in part due to the top-down control that the Bongo family exerts over the Gabonaise government. However, the Bongo family have personally embezzled millions of dollars from Gabon.
Competency - 60
The government is failing to provide for its prison population. The government is also failing to manage its own employees, as civil servant strikes are very common due to low wages. This often results in delays to public services, political deadlock, and corruption. The government keeps a very tight grip over the people. Despite these factors however, Gabon is the wealthiest and one of the most stable countries in its region.
Future - 60
Gabon’s economic growth has begun to accelerate in recent years. Gabon shows no signs of opening up democratically.
Actions Abroad - 67
The government is currently investigating twelve cases of alleged sexual abuse by Gabonaise UN Peacekeepers deployed to the DRC. These abuses allegedly took place between 2014 and 2020. Gabon has cooperated with French anti-terrorist campaigns in the region, and the country also plays host to the French 6th Marine Infantry Battalion. Equatorial Guinea and Gabon both claim several uninhabited islands in Corisco Bay under the de facto control of neither. Gabonaise special forces are trained by the Green Berets and Gabon maintains a very close relationship with the United States, especially militarily. Gabon is part of the Non-Aligned Movement and is generally isolationist.
3.4% of Gabonaise live below the international poverty line and 32.4% live below the national poverty line. 20.5% of Gabonaise are unemployed. Gabon has a high economic disparity. The minimum wage in Gabon is $225 per month, but the government also issues a $34 per month child allowance (per child) for all parents. Gabon’s healthcare system is very strong by regional standards. Government healthcare covers all children, college students, workers, the elderly, pregnant women, and the impoverished. This broad net of coverage includes virtually all Gabonaise but not the entire country. Healthcare is of generally high quality throughout the country and almost all Gabonaise have access to a hospital. Private healthcare is also available and many wealthy Gabonaise choose to pay for private healthcare. The Gabonaise economy shrunk 1.3% in 2020 and grew 3.9% in 2019 and has generally been on an upward trend after decades of slow growth.