Opposition candidate Jean Ping, whose headquarters were bombed, has appealed to the United States and France, Gabon’s former colonial power, for help. In an editorial (paywall) in the New York Times this weekend, he continued to call for the release of election results by the polling bureau.

“We, the people of Gabon, demand that Mr. Bongo end the violence and stop ordering our brothers, sisters and children in the security forces to attack our own,” he wrote.

The Bongo family has ruled Gabon’s political and economic life for almost 50 years. Bongo took over the president’s office from his father, Omar Bongo, who held the position for 42 years.

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