22 Mars 2023
LIBREVILLE, March 22 (Infosplusgabon) – The former candidate for the 2016 presidential election, Dieudonné MINLAMA MINTOGO, went to Port-Môle on March 16 to support the bereaved families and especially to pay tribute to the victims of the sinking of the Esther Miracle ferry which caused several deaths after a real panic which took hold among the passengers before the late arrival of help.
In his testimony, Mr. Minlama Mintogo said: “I was on March 16, 2023 at Port-Môle in Libreville, to pay tribute to the disappeared, to the survivors, to support the families bereaved by the sinking of the Esther Miracle ferry, and to share with the Nation this terrible pain”.
“Research is still ongoing and I remain hopeful, like the families who are impatiently awaiting news of their loved ones, that the missing be found alive or at least that all the bodies be recovered. I reiterate here my pain and my compassion for the place of bereaved families and assures them of my full support,” he added.
Also, he invited the President of the Republic to continue and strengthen his leadership, already committed, in the management of this crisis by taking all the necessary measures so that all the families affected by this tragedy benefit from the multifaceted support of the part of the state.
Without deploring that “whole families find themselves in desolation because having lost a loved one who was the pillar of the family. Social measures must be quickly taken to prevent these families from falling into precariousness”.
“I also invite the Head of State to commit his leadership by ensuring that these grieving people will have psychological support to relieve their suffering. This is also an opportunity for me to salute the emergency services, in particular the crew of the Celestial boat, the Defense and Security Forces, economic operators, friendly countries and anonymous people for their bravery, their courage and their determination. Thanks to them several lives have been saved. The country will be eternally grateful to you.” , added the politician.
For Mr. Minlama Mintogo, “this tragedy has shown us how often corruption plagues our administration. The arrest of those responsible for this accident will not be enough, we must find structural solutions to fight against corruption, rights have become commonplace in our administration and at the origin of this tragedy”.
The “zero impunity” objective announced by the President of the Republic must be followed by a clear strategy, effective programs and pragmatic actions in order to eradicate state corruption, the main obstacle to the development of our country. Corruption kills, corruption impoverishes, corruption is our main enemy. Like any enemy, we must defeat corruption definitively.
“(…) I send my sincere condolences to the bereaved families and all my affliction to the survivors. May God bless Gabon”, he concluded.
At least 29 people died in the sinking of a small ferry off Gabon on March 9 and others remain missing. One hundred and twenty-four castaways had been recovered alive out of the 161 occupants of the Esther Miracle officially registered on board when it sailed from the capital Libreville to reach the oil port of Port-Gentil on the night of March 8 to 9. This mixed passenger and freight ship from the private company Royal Cost Marine (RCM) sank in the middle of the night ten km from the coast. Its dilapidation, as well as its unsuitability for transporting passengers, have been questioned in particular by local media, families and civil society groups. On March 17, the Libreville public prosecutor announced the arrest of 33 people since the tragedy as part of a criminal investigation to determine the causes of the sinking, in particular officials from the Ministry of Transport, the Merchant Navy and RCM executives. Since then, nothing has leaked about the investigation, commented the French newspaper Le Figaro.
FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/UGH/GABON2023
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