Category Archives: Gabon voices

Ritual crimes: Gabon considers reinstating the death penalty

Posted on by

Gabon is a country in Central Africa. With an area of 270,000 square km (100,000 square miles) it belongs to the group of small African countries. Its population is estimated to be less than 3 million people. Though it is considered one of the wealthiest African countries in terms of per capital income – Gabon’s nominal GDP per capita was $10,149 in 2023 – many Gabonese people live in poor conditions whereas a minority leads a life of luxury. Reportedly, the richest 20% of the population earn over 90% of the income while about a third of the Gabonese population lives in poverty.

At present, the president of the country is Brice Oligui Nguema. The general and former military government ruler, who led a successful military coup in August 2023, ending 55 years (!) of rule of father and son Bongo – Omar Bongo Ondimba (1967-2009) and Ali Bongo Ondimba (2009-2023) – won the presidential elections in April last year with nearly 95 percent of the vote. He was sworn in as the country’s fourth president (since independence in 1960) after leading a 19-months transition government. Interestingly, Brice Oligui Nguema is a maternal cousin of his predecessor, Ali Bongo.

In a recent post I already reported a rise of ritual killings in the country. An explanation is lacking. Ritual murders are not uncommon in this country. The death penalty was abolished in 2010. Recently there have been renewed calls for reinstating the capital punishment for ritual crimes. It is doubtful whether this will stop this gruesome practice.
(webmaster FVDK)

Ritual Crimes: Gabon Considers Reinstating the Death Penalty

Attention: screenshot. To access the video please click here
Sources : Fides/cath.ch / FSSPX Actualités
Illustration : Lukasz Kobus – Wikimedia Commons / Union européenne (CC BY 4.0)

Published: January 26, 2026
By: FSSPX NEWS

Brice Oligui Nguema, President of Gabon

In Gabon, a wave of ritual crimes has once again plunged the population into terror. Faced with the horror, the head of state has reopened the debate on the reinstatement of the death penalty. The Catholic Church finds itself at a crossroads, between absolute condemnation of the barbaric crimes and its alignment with the recent positions of the magisterium regarding the death penalty.

A Resurgence That Sows Terror

Emotions are running high since the discovery of mutilated bodies, often those of children or women, deprived of vital organs. These macabre removals, intended for occult practices supposedly conferring power and wealth, are fueling a collective psychosis. The recent case of young Cameron, whose murder sparked a wave of outrage, is only the tip of the iceberg that the Association for the Fight Against Ritual Crimes (ALCR) has been denouncing for decades.

The Possible Return of Capital Punishment

Faced with popular pressure and the growing feeling of insecurity, General Oligui Nguema has taken a symbolic step. During his New Year’s address to the nation in January 2026, the head of state suggested a public consultation, or even a referendum, on the reinstatement of the death penalty, which was abolished in Gabon in 2010. For the transitional government, this is a way to respond to a thirst for immediate justice and to mark the end of impunity perceived as an admission of complicity. Supporters of the “yes” vote see this measure as the only safeguard capable of deterring the perpetrators and those who commission these bloody rituals.

The Episcopate’s Dilemma

The Gabonese Catholic Church, a historical moral force in the country, finds itself in a delicate position. While it condemns in the strongest terms what it calls the “profanation of the human being,” the Church, like most episcopates, has aligned itself with the 180-degree shift made by the Vatican on this issue. While the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1992 under the reign of Pope John Paul II, still defended the legitimacy of capital punishment, Pope Francis has—almost entirely—said the exact opposite. It is a position followed so far by his successor. Thus, for the bishops, ritual crime is the expression of a “culture of death” that cannot be fought by shedding more blood. This is an idealistic position that is too “Western” in flavor for many Africans, and one that the Church risks creating a misunderstanding.

The Gabonese prelates prefer to encourage the authorities to address the root causes of the problem, which they have, moreover, identified very well: the corruption of the judicial system, the poverty that makes the population vulnerable, and especially the influence of esoteric sects within the administration.

For a Stronger Church

The ALCR, for its part, emphasizes that, in the past, sentences of life imprisonment have not been sufficient to stem the tide of this scourge, due to a lack of strict application of the law and protection of witnesses.

The fight against ritual crimes demands immediate, exemplary punishments and requires a rehabilitation of moral values ​​as well as a radical reform of the state apparatus so that every citizen feels protected by the law, and not by perverted ancestral rituals. To achieve this, the Church will need to rediscover a powerful doctrine and voice, which the era inaugurated at Vatican II has not helped strengthen.

Source: Ritual Crimes: Gabon Considers Reinstating the Death Penalty

Gabon – Faced with alarm over ritual murders, President Brice Oligui Nguema asks the population whether they want the death penalty reintroduced

Posted on by

Since starting this website on ritual murders in Africa I have published more than one post on ritual crimes in Gabon, a small country situated on the Atlantic Coast, though not much is known about the frequency of murders for ritualistic purposes in this Central African country with an estimated population of less than 3 million people.

The oldest case of murder for ritualistic purposes mentioned on this site dates from 2005, and may have been linked to elections in the country. See my August 17, 2018 post, Gabon election raises fears of ritual killings. Unfortunately, Gabon thus lists among a large group of African countries where elections are accompanied by a surge in ritualistic murders. My August 16, 2018 post entitled Gabon senator arrested in ritual killing case, referring to a 2013 ritual murder case, also draws attention to the criminal practices of ambitious politicians, eager to obtain or maintain wealthy and prestigious positions. The year 2013 was a notorious year for ritualistic murders in Gabon, see my November 23, 2023 post, Anger rises in Gabon after rash of ritual killings.

Hence the reported wave of ritual murders which incites the government of President Oligui to consider reinstating the death penalty for ritual crimes is not a new phenomenon in the country. Then why now this cry for the reinstatement of the capital punishment?

While international law does not prohibit the death penalty, most countries consider it a violation of human rights. (webmaster FVDK)

Faced with alarm over ritual murders, Gabon’s President Brice Oligui Nguema asks the population whether they want the death penalty reintroduced

Published: January 9, 2026
By: Agenzia Fides – Gabon

Libreville (Agenzia Fides) –Citizens will decide whether the death penalty will be imposed for so-called “ritual murders.” This was announced by the President of Gabon, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, in his New Year’s address on January 2. The death penalty was abolished in Gabon in 2010, but in light of the social unrest triggered by the increase in so-called “ritual murders,” President Nguema stated that he wants to consult the population on whether to reintroduce the death penalty to punish those who commit such acts. “This decision must be made by the people who elected me,” he declared.

The Gabonese population was shocked by the case of Pascal Cameron Ngueba Loko, a 13-year-old boy who disappeared on December 17 and whose body was found on December 22 in a septic tank near his home. One of the four suspects arrested by police confessed to killing the boy for fetishistic purposes on the orders of an as-yet-unknown instigator.

Remarkably, according to the coroner, the boy’s body showed no signs of organ removal.

Ritual killings have a long history in Gabon, so much so that there is even an association dedicated to combating ritual crimes, which organized a protest march in 2013.

Those who commission these brutal acts seek to gain material advantages through “magical” practices involving the mutilation of young victims’ bodies.

The Catholic bishops have intervened on several occasions to counteract these practices. On December 28, 2025, the Gabonese Bishops’ Conference celebrated the conclusion of its Jubilee and the National Day for Combating All Forms of Violence and Attacks on Life in Oyem. In his homily, the President of the Bishops’ Conference and Bishop of Oyem, Jean Vincent Ondo Éyéne, condemned these “barbaric” acts and called on the security forces to fully embrace their responsibility in order to restore the public’s trust.

“My heart is filled with sorrow for the ritual murders that are staining our beloved country with blood,” said the Bishop of Oyem. “I think of those who have been taken from life, whose bodies have been desecrated, and whose innocence has been broken,” he continued, referring in particular to the murder of Pascal Cameron Loko and to numerous other victims whose crimes go unpunished.

The President of the Gabonese Bishops’ Conference entrusted the souls of the innocent victims to God and prayed for eternal rest for them and comfort for their families. He also remembered the survivors, who are forever scarred by this violence, and prayed for their physical and spiritual healing. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/1/2025)

Source: GABON – Faced with alarm over “ritual murders”, the President asks the population whether they want the death penalty reintroduced

Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice

Posted on by

As I stated earlier on this site (see my August 16, 2018 post), Gabon has a very bad reputation as ritual murders is concerned. Unlike in many other African countries, in Gabon there exists a very active grassroots organization fighting these ritualistic murders and the impunity that shields perpetrators and those who command these atrocious, criminal acts, from justice. The organization is called the Association for Fighting Ritualistic Crimes (ALCR). Its president, Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, recently said that his organization estimates that at least 50 ritualistic crimes, in a population of less than two million, occur each year. This means that on average every week a person is ritually murdered in this West African country.  More on the good work of the ALCR in upcoming posts. 

This week a positive report emerged. Two men were found guilty of a ritualistic crime committed in 2012 and sentenced to jail. One murderer received a life sentence, while his accomplice was will have to spend 12 years in prison. However, the ALCR in its reaction said that “the people who sponsored the murder have still not been arrested.” Read everything on this case in the article reproduced below. (webmaster FVDK)

Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice

Published: January 11, 2019 – 20:54 GMT 
Updated: January, 12 2019 – 17:44 GMT
By: Daily Mail Co UK / AFP

Two men have been arrested and jailed in Gabon for gunning down another man and slicing off his tongue, fingers and toes in a gruesome occult sacrifice

A court in Gabon has jailed two men accused of sacrificing a man and cutting out his organs for black magic rituals, press reports and campaigners said Friday.

Henry Bengone B’Evouna received a life sentence for gunning down Achille Obiang Ndong, while his accomplice, Gerard Mba Eyime, was jailed for 12 years for slicing off the victim’s tongue, fingers and toes, l’Union newspaper said.

The sentences were passed on Tuesday by an appeals court in Oyem in the north of the west African country.

Bengone B’Evouna had struck a deal “with a former local dignitary to provide human organs in exchange for the sum of 800,000 CFA francs,” about $1,400 or 1,200 euros, l’Union reported.

Both men admitted guilt for the crime committed in 2012, it said.

An advocacy group, the Association for Fighting Ritualistic Crimes (ALCR), which said it was providing support for the victim’s family, said “the people who sponsored” the murder “have still not been arrested.”

In Gabon and other parts of West Africa, organs are used as fetishes in magic rituals, “and often are taken from people while they are still alive,” said the organisation’s president, Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo.

“Often, there is no prosecution for crimes of ritual killings,” he said.

“Behind them, there’s a whole network of sponsors — politicians and powerful businessmen, marabouts [witch doctors], people called ‘nganga’ who act as spotters and often are schoolchildren or close relatives, and those who carry out the killing.”

Dread of kidnapping for organ removal is common.

Ebang Ondo said his organisation estimated that at least 50 ritualistic crimes, in a population of less than two million, occurred each year.

Source: Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice

Related article: Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice
Source: Brinkwire, dated January 13, 2019

Gabon election raises fears of ritual killings (2008)

Posted on by

Published: April 16, 2008
Writing by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Clar NiChonghaile
Antoine Lawson
Reuters

A sorcerer performs a dance in front of a sacred fire in Bitouga, some 600 km from the Gabon capital Libreville, in this September 2007 photo. REUTERS/Antoine Lawson

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) – When the body of 13-year-old Ralph Edang N’na was found drained of blood and with gaping wounds in his genitals, chest and neck last month, many in Gabon thought it was politicians who had ordered his killing.

The murder of children and young adults, whose organs are eaten or used to make magical amulets, has increased in recent years in the oil-rich central African nation. Campaigners say some Gabonese politicians use the black magic rituals to boost their chances of winning lucrative government posts.

With elections to local municipal councils due on April 27, many fear a spate of gruesome child murders.

Every week, mutilated bodies are discovered in the capital Libreville, despite police patrols, and streets quickly empty after nightfall. Anxious parents are keeping a close watch around schools to prevent children from being snatched.

“It’s before elections and ministerial reshuffles that the vilest crimes are committed and the capital empties of certain kinds of politicians who go to the interior to carry out witchcraft,” said pastor Francois Bibang, a member of the Association to Fight Ritual Crimes (ALCR).

In ritual killings, which still take place in several African countries, people, often children, are killed to obtain body parts and blood in the belief they will bring social success and political power.

The ALCR says that in February alone there were 12 such killings in Gabon.

“Unfortunately, this practice seems to be spreading again in Gabon,” said Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, who founded ALCR after his 12-year-old son was kidnapped, killed and mutilated in 2005.

The government set up a National Observatory for the Rights of Children in November 2006 to implement the U.N. charter on children’s rights, enshrining the right to health, education and protection from abuse.

Gabon, with just 1.6 million people, is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest oil producers but most of its population continue to live in poverty, while members of a rich elite drive shiny new cars along Libreville’s sea front boulevard.

Omar Bongo, the world’s longest-serving president, has ruled the country since 1967 and used the oil funds to weave a web of patronage which has created bitter competition for lucrative political jobs.

Ondo condemned “the silence of the state” and called on residents to “fight off these assassins who sow terror in the heart of Gabonese society”.

After a penal code approved in January omitted any mention of ritual crimes, Ondo called on the government to find out how many people had been killed in this way.

“Spare parts”

But no clear figures exist for how many children and teenagers are slain in ritual killings in Gabon.

The head of an association against ritual crimes, Frederic Ntera Etoua, said 290 killings had occurred since 1986 in the thick jungles of the Ogooue-Ivindo province in the northeast, where Ralph Edang N’na was killed.

“There is a pyramid organization with politicians at its head who pursue the famous ‘spare parts’ then the recruiters who are middle men and then the suppliers and sellers who find the innocent victims,” said Bibang.

Parliamentary speaker Guy Nzouba Ndama opened the latest session of the assembly on March 3 by denouncing ritual crimes by politicians.

So far no politicians have been convicted for involvement in such crimes. An attempt to prosecute a legislator from the oil-rich region of Gamba last year failed after he claimed parliamentary immunity.

Philippe Ndong, a psychology teacher at Libreville university, traces the rise in ritual crimes to 2001.

“As legislative elections approached, mutilated bodies were discovered around the country,” said Ndong. “An 8-year-old girl was snatched in Ndolou department and killed in Mouila. The man allegedly responsible was a candidate to parliament who entered the government after this crime.”

Ndong cites other ritual murders. In 2002, a man in his 20s, Lucien Bigoundou, was killed in the Digoudou forest of central Gabon while on a hunting trip with companions who cut off his genitals and other parts of his body.

In March 2005, the bodies of two 12-year-old boys were washed up on a Libreville beach — one was Ebang Ondo’s son. A month later, six-year-old Warlys Igor Mboumba was found dead in a Libreville gutter, his body drained of blood.

In January 2006, the bodies of three children under four were discovered in the trunk of a car in a private yard.

And last April, two men suspected of sodomizing a 3-year-old boy and draining his blood in a ritual killing were lynched.

“It is up to the government to put a swift end to this impunity or risk seeing a rise in mob justice,” said pastor Emile Ngoua, a member of the ALCR.

Source: Gabon election raises fears of ritual killings
April 16, 2008

Gabon senator arrested in ritual killing case (2013)

Posted on by

The article reproduced below reminded me of previous reports on ritualistic murders in Gabon. It is a saddening reality that this Equatorial African country has a very bad reputation in this respect. I have been monitoring reports on ritual murders in African countries since the end of the 1990s and Gabon ranks high on the list of counties with ritual killings. (webmaster FVDK)

Gabon senator arrested in ritual killing case

Published: June 8, 2013 / 2:01 PM
By: Reuters Staff
Reporting by Jean-Rovys Dabany; Writing by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Louise Ireland
Andrew Lawson

A sorcerer performs a dance in front of a sacred fire in Bitouga, some 600 km from the Gabon capital Libreville, in this September 2007 photo. REUTERS/Antoine

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) – A member of Gabon’s senate has been arrested in an investigation into the ritual killing of a 12-year-old girl in the central African nation four years ago, the first time a senior politician has been detained in such a case.

Rising public anger at a spate of ritual killings in Gabon, an oil-rich former French colony on the Gulf of Guinea, sparked a march by thousands of people in the capital Libreville last month after mutilated bodies washed up on beaches.

President Ali Bongo promised the protesters that anyone convicted of such killings would be jailed for life.

Senator Gabriel Eyeghe Ekomie, who was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in December, was arrested on Friday after failing to appear before a court on May 31, his lawyer said.

Eyeghe Ekomie was summoned for questioning by the court after a man convicted of the girl’s killing said at his trial in May 2012 that he did it on the senator’s orders. Eyeghe Ekomie has denied the accusation.

“This is an unjust decision because my client was not correctly summoned,” said lawyer Gisele Eyue Bekale. “We asked the judge to re-issue the summons but he did not. We will continue to appeal this decision.”

Human and animal body parts are prized by some in the region, who believe they confer magical powers. Gabon’s Association for the Prevention of Ritual Crimes estimates that at least 20 people have been killed so far this year and their lips, tongues, genitals and other organs removed. (Bold and Italics mine – FVDK, webmaster).

Earlier this week, a sack containing human genitalia was found in a building in Libreville. An investigation is underway.

Gabon is not the only African country with a black market trade in human organs.

Grave robbers dug up more than 100 bodies in Benin’s capital Cotonou in November. Cameroonian authorities in September arrested five people for trafficking when they were stopped at a checkpoint with a severed human head.

Source: Gabon senator arrested in ritual killing case