"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

English version  Ten African teams participated in the 2026 World Cup. Nine made it out of the group stage, which is 90%—a remarkable feat. In the Round of 32, only two made it through; two out of nine means 22% are in the Round of 16. At this stage, only one will reach the quarter-finals: Morocco. Africa is where it belongs. Senegal, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Cape Verde, and now Egypt, were eliminated by conceding goals from the 80th minute onwards. Once or twice, we can talk about luck. But when 5 out of 9 teams are foolishly eliminated in this way, introspection is in order. Science is not wrong; the statistics are unforgiving. African teams fall apart starting from the 80th minute. That is the truth. Now, we must find the cure! Version française  Dix équipes Africaines participaient à la coupe du monde 2026. Neuf sont sorties des poules, soit 90%, un exploit. En 16ième de finale, seules deux ont franchi le cape, deux sur neuf c’est 22% qui sont en 8ième de finale. À ce stade,...

English version  The anger and bewilderment of the entire world in response to the remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla against Kylian Mbappé are entirely legitimate and justified. But the fundamental question remains: why do certain individuals believe they can behave this way, and do so openly? The insults hurled following this World Cup round of 16 match are of unprecedented violence and raise a fundamental question about the persistence of racial prejudice at the highest levels of certain countries. It is first important to nuance the idea of total impunity in this specific case. While the senator may have believed she could express herself in this manner without consequence, reality quickly caught up with her because Mbappé has the advantage of being French. Diplomatic and legal reactions: The French Football Federation (FFF) has announced legal action, and the Paraguayan government, along with the President of Congress, have firmly condemned and disavowed these...

 

English version  In Gabon's political economy and governance, the land issue crystallizes immense social expectations and major legal risks. Historically, the Gabonese land system has been characterized by institutional paralysis. From 1905 until very recently, the country had issued a total of only about 33,000 land titles. The majority of the population, particularly in the face of rampant urbanization in cities like Libreville, occupies land customarily or informally, without any solid legal protection. Historically, land disputes (overlapping sales, abusive expropriations, scams) have accounted for nearly a quarter of all civil litigation in Gabon. The CBON government has made land a strategic lever to demonstrate its efficiency and establish its legitimacy. It has therefore launched a structural reform, but its speed is generating new shocks: "Mass Regularization":  The State has initiated an aggressive administrative push. In the first half of 2026 alone, the admini...

English version  When the homes of Gabonese citizens in the Vallée Sainte-Marie were demolished, the rhetoric of the "super-patriots" was cynical and shameless. We were repeatedly told that you cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs, thereby trivializing the destruction of the living environments of many fellow citizens in the name of a supposed development imperative. The machine then escalated in the London neighborhood, where Gabonese citizens were expropriated for the benefit of Lebanese investors. Faced with this dispossession, the dominant discourse mutated to justify the unjustifiable: we were told it was an excellent development, as these investors would replace the locals' shacks with modern buildings. Dispossession on one's own land suddenly became synonymous with progress. This alienation reached its peak with the much-touted construction projects spearheaded by CBON. When it is pointed out that showcases like the Baie des Rois or the Cité Émeraude act...