Franco-Gabonese relations are the current and historical relations between

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

. Both nations are members of the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to ''La Francophonie'', , sometimes also called International Organisation of in English) is an international organization representing where there is a notable affiliation with French language and culture. ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Pre-independence relations

France first established relations with Gabon in the early 19th century, signing protection treaties with local chiefs in 1839 and 1841. In 1885, during the

scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa was the invasion, conquest, and colonialism, colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western European powers driven by the Second Industrial Revolution during the late 19th century and early 20th century in the era of ...

, France claimed Gabon as a territory. French administration formally began in 1903, and Gabon became part of the federation of

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (, or AEF) was a federation of French colonial territories in Equatorial Africa which consisted of Gabon, French Congo, Ubangi-Shari, and Chad. It existed from 1910 to 1958 and its administration was based in Brazzav ...

in 1910. The colony remained part of the federation until 1959. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Gabon was briefly under the control of

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

but was recaptured by

Free French forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...

in November 1940 after the

Battle of Gabon The Battle of Gabon (French: ''Bataille du Gabon''), also called the Gabon Campaign (''Campagne du Gabon''), occurred in November 1940 during World War II. The battle resulted in forces under the orders of General Charles de Gaulle taking the c ...

. Gabon achieved independence from France in August 1960, alongside the other territories of French Equatorial Africa.

Post-independence relations

Following independence, Gabon remained one of France's closest allies in Africa. Gabon's strategic resources, including uranium and oil, significantly shaped Franco-Gabonese relations during the 1960s. France relied on Gabon's uranium for its ''

Force de frappe The ''Force de dissuasion'' (), known as the ''Force de frappe'' ('Strike Force') prior to 1961,Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104 is the French nuclear deterrence force. The ''Force de dissua ...

'' (nuclear deterrent) and, following the loss of

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, on Gabon's oil to support its policy of energy independence. In February 1964, French troops intervened during the 1964 Gabon coup d'état to restore the Gabonese government. French citizens in Gabon at the time accused the United States of involvement, leading to anti-American demonstrations and the 1964 United States Embassy in Libreville bombings.

Omar Bongo Era

Omar Bongo Omar Bongo Ondimba (born Albert-Bernard Bongo; 30 December 1935 – 8 June 2009) was a Gabonese politician who was the second president of Gabon from 1967 until Death and state funeral of Omar Bongo, his death in 2009. A member of the Gabonese De ...

ruled Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009, fostering extensive French involvement in Gabon's political, economic, and military spheres. French oil company

Elf Aquitaine Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...

developed substantial interests in Gabon during his presidency. Gabon served as a military hub for French operations in Africa, solidifying its role as a critical ally. By 2008, around 10,000 French nationals resided in Gabon, and the French 6th Marine Infantry Battalion maintained a permanent presence in the country. When Omar Bongo passed away in 2009, French leaders

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

and

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

were among the few Western heads of state to attend his funeral.

Ali Bongo Ondimba Era

After Omar Bongo’s death, his son,

Ali Bongo Ondimba Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain-Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959) also known as Ali Ben Bongo is a Gabonese former politician and dictator who was the third president of Gabon from 2009 until he was deposed in a 2023 Gabonese coup d'état, coup in 2 ...

, assumed power. While Ali Bongo maintained strong ties with France, his rule faced controversy, including allegations of voter fraud during the 2016 election. The French foreign ministry expressed concerns about the transparency of the election process. Despite these challenges, Gabon continued to play a pivotal role in France’s African policy. French military forces stationed in Gabon supported regional stability operations, and French companies remained active in Gabon’s resource extraction sectors.

Brice Oligui Clotaire Nguema

The 6th Marine Infantry Battalion, stationed in the capital Libreville since 1975, is no more. Since the summer of 2024, the 6th Marine Infantry Battalion has been replaced by a military academy. Camp de Gaulle, which will be renamed a training camp shared and co-managed by France and Gabon. Of the 380 French soldiers in 2023, only about a hundred will remain by July 1, 2025.

Resident diplomatic missions

* France has an embassy in

Libreville Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire Province, Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. A ...

. * Gabon has an embassy in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

.Embassy of Gabon in France (in French)
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:France-Gabon Relations

Bilateral relations of Gabon Relations of colonizer and former colony