Gabon retirees face financial hardship in constitutional court battle

On Wednesday, July 15, the President of Gabon’s Constitutional Court, Dieudonné Aba’a Owono, granted an audience to representatives from the Union of Retired Defense and Security Forces Personnel. The meeting aimed to highlight the severe financial and social distress plaguing former state security agents.

The timing of this encounter is pivotal. Recently recognized by the Ministry of the Interior and officially introduced to the National Defense authorities, the association now wields the legitimacy to advocate for its members. Determined to no longer remain invisible, its leaders are pushing the government to address the growing precarity affecting countless retired military and police officers.

For these retirees, the bitterness runs deep. After decades of service protecting the nation, they now demand the payment of long-overdue benefits and social entitlements they rightfully claim.

Unequal treatment at the heart of the dispute

The crux of their grievance lies in what they describe as a glaring disparity in retirement benefits. According to the Union’s members, current regulations disproportionately favor a select group of privileged individuals.

Jean Edgard Moussavou, the Union’s president, minced no words in condemning this inequity. « We have pursued multiple initiatives tied to Articles 94 and 104. Article 94 guarantees a service rendered indemnity for all retiring agents, while Article 104 stipulates that 80% of the last base salary accompanies their retirement. Yet, to date, only general officers have enforceable decrees for these provisions. Today, our pensions are calculated on thin air. »

Constitutional Court urges legal resolution

Deeply attuned to the retirees’ plight, Dieudonné Aba’a Owono emphasized the need to channel their demands through proper institutional and administrative channels. The Court’s president urged calm and strict adherence to legal rigor in handling this highly sensitive case.