Gabonese authorities have arrested Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, the country's leading opposition figure and former prime minister, in what his party describes as a politically motivated move to silence dissent. Bilie-By-Nze was detained at his home late on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from his party, Together For Gabon (known by its French acronym EPG). The party said the arrest was carried out in conditions it described as "arbitrary, brutal and manifestly contrary to the fundamental principles of the rule of law."

Authorities have linked the detention to a 2008 matter in which Bilie-By-Nze chaired the organising committee for Gabon's Festival of Cultures. The EPG said the case concerns a debt the Gabonese government allegedly failed to pay in connection with that event — a justification the party rejected as a pretext, condemning the arrest as a "serious political manoeuvre" designed to suppress a prominent critical voice.

Bilie-By-Nze is a significant figure in Gabon's recent political history. A small, oil-rich country on Central Africa's Atlantic coast, Gabon was governed for decades by the Bongo family before a military coup in August 2023 ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, under whom Bilie-By-Nze had held several senior government posts, including serving as prime minister from January to August 2023. Following the transition, Bilie-By-Nze stood as a candidate in last year's presidential election, finishing as runner-up to Brice Oligui Nguema, who won with more than 94% of the vote after leading the coup that brought him to power.

In recent months, Bilie-By-Nze had emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the new administration. He publicly opposed a suspension of social media platforms introduced in February and criticised the government's use of decrees to reform nationality laws — measures introduced as the authorities faced social unrest, including a teachers' strike.

The arrest raises serious questions about the space for political opposition in post-coup Gabon. Human rights advocates and democratic observers are likely to scrutinise whether the legal proceedings against Bilie-By-Nze reflect a genuine judicial matter or represent an attempt by the transitional government to neutralise organised political opposition ahead of any future democratic process.