Gabon's government seeks to calm tensions after deadly demo

Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's government sought to douse tensions Sunday, a day after three people died in a demonstration against President Ali Bongo Ondimba according to the opposition.

The opposition had called for a new protest on Sunday afternoon but there were no signs of a gathering as security forces fanned out across the seaside capital Libreville.

An opposition coalition claimed three people died in Saturday's unrest but the public prosecutor has confirmed only that a 30-year-old male student had died.

"In response to a peaceful demonstration... the head of state mobilised special units of the gendarmerie and the police and directed the weapons of the republic against peaceful, unarmed Gabonese," the opposition statement said.

"We have already recorded three deaths, many serious injuries and numerous arrests," it said, condemning "killings committed in cold blood and (with) live ammunition".

There was no independent confirmation of the death toll claimed by the opposition.

In a bid to calm tensions, Interior Minister Guy Bertrand Mapangou told a news conference Sunday that the student "had died outside the scene of the protests."

"An investigation has been launched by the prosecutor of the Republic to determine the circumstances of this tragedy," he said.

Mapangou said many members of the security forces had been injured, adding there had been widespread destruction with shops looted and vehicles damaged.

"About 100 people, including 90 Gabonese nationals and 10 foreigners" were arrested on Saturday, he said. "Some were carrying knives, or jerry cans of petrol and others were visibly under the effect of drugs."

Security forces were out in large numbers Saturday to prevent hundreds of demonstrators from gathering at Libreville's Rio Intersection for a rally that had been outlawed by the interior ministry the day before.

"Ali, get out! 50 years is too long!" the crowd chanted.

President Ondimba took office after the 2009 death of his father Omar Bongo, who had been in power since 1967.

The political climate in Gabon worsened recently with the publication of a book by French journalist Pierre Pean that accuses the president of having falsified his birth certificate and diplomas.