Libreville mayor moves to ease Oloumi market dispute
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Infos Gabon
Libreville mayor Eugène M’ba called a meeting with traders at the CTRI market in Oloumi after protests linked to construction work and acts of damage. Municipal authorities explained that the disputed space was to be used temporarily to store social welfare equipment, according to Infos Gabon.
Libreville mayor Eugène M’ba called an emergency meeting on Thursday 29 October to ease tensions at the CTRI market in Oloumi, after a video showing traders protesting circulated, Infos Gabon reports. The meeting brought together representatives of the traders’ collective, market manager Hortense Joëlle Nse Mvie, business operator Bachir and several municipal officials.
Discussions focused on construction work and damage attributed to the business operator. The city said the disputed stall was to be temporarily made available to its Department of Social Affairs to store equipment for children as part of the 2026 Christmas festivities, and was not reserved for personal use.
Eugène M’ba, accompanied in particular by his first deputy Jean-Jacques Kangué, recalled that the market had been built to make it easier for women traders to access municipal stalls. He reiterated that these spaces were intended exclusively for Gabonese people, in line with presidential directives mentioned during the meeting. The market manager said the municipality wanted to “ease tensions and salvage what it could”, according to Infos Gabon.
