4 Sept 2009

Gabon riots follow Bongo poll win

Soldiers have clashed with opposition supporters after Ali Bongo, the son of Gabon's long-time ruler Omar Bongo, was declared the winner of the country's disputed presidential election.

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Pierre Mamboundou, a rival of Bongo's, was seriously wounded in the capital, Libreville.

Rioting also broke out in Port Gentil in the central African nation's oil zone, French media reported.

Opposition supporters in Port Gentil, Gabon's second-largest city, set fire to France's consulate general after Bongo's victory was announced, witnesses said.

Prisoners who had been set free or escaped from a local jail were roaming the streets and set fire to a petrol station, a resident told French state radio France Info.

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Gabon riots follow Bongo poll win