06 Sep 2009
French oil company Total has relocated its employees in Gabon amid fears of attacks on workers over allegations of French intervention in the presidential election.

Total announced the "temporary withdrawal" of the oil company's staff from Gabon's second largest city, Port-Gentil, on Saturday to the capital Libreville in a move to protect the employees from the post-election unrest prompted by allegations of vote fraud to instate Ali Bongo, the pro-France son of the late Gabonese president Omar Bongo, as the next leader of the West Central African country.

However, the oil firm has emphasized that it will continue to run the oil works at Port-Gentil's oil reserves with minimum workforce stationed in the fossil fuel hub.

Total's decision comes only days after the country declared the current Defense Minister Ali Bongo as the winner of the August presidential ballot with around 42 percent of the votes.

Bongo's victory drew the opposition's ire, which deems the polls as rigged and has called for “resistance” to Bongo's claim on power. The opposition has accused France of exercising its influence to help fix the latest polls in favor of the late leaders' son.

On Thursday, protesters scorched the French consulate and a number of French company offices in Port-Gentil amid anti-French sentiments stirred by the so-called Françafrique ties that is interpreted as the continuing French influence in its former African colonies including Gabon.

The situation in Gabon remains tense despite the deployment of troops to clamp down on the opposition that has thus far staged rallies during which two people have been shot dead and a number of others have received injuries after clashing with government forces.

Ali Ben Bongo, due to replace his father who ruled Gabon for 41 years before his death in June, has invited the opposition to embrace peace as around 1,000 security forces patrol Port-Gentil, which remains under a curfew due to renewed clashes between police and demonstrators on Saturday.

presstv