Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping said on Thursday two people were killed and many wounded when the presidential guard and police attacked his party’s headquarters overnight after an election narrowly won by President Ali Bongo.

Ping called for international assistance to protect the population of the oil-producing state and said Saturday’s election was stolen by Bongo, who was declared the winner on Wednesday.

The result gives the president a further seven years in power in the country of 1.8 million people. Bongo took power in 2009 on the death of his father, who had ruled for 42 years.

Opposition supporters greeted the election result with anger. Demonstrators in the capital Libreville clashed with police and set part of the parliament building on fire.

Police also fired teargas in clashes with around 100 opposition supporters, according to a Reuters witness.

Spokesmen for the police and the presidential guard were not immediately available for comment.

“Everybody knows that I won the election,” Ping said in a telephone interview, adding that the electoral commission’s figures were based on false documents.

“The (Bongo) family are repeating same scenario for almost half a century. The opposition can win the elections but they have never had access to power… We need assistance from the rest of the world to protect the population of Gabon from a clan of mercenaries, a rogue state,” he said.

France, the United States and the European Union all urged calm and called upon Gabonese authorities to release the results of individual polling stations for greater transparency, while the United Nations also urged restraint.

Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes against 48.23 percent for Ping, on a turnout of 59.46 percent, according to results given region by region by Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya.

“This victory by such a tight score obliges … each of us to respect the verdict of the ballot box and our institutions,” Bongo said in the text of a victory speech distributed to reporters.

Ping, a political insider who has served as foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, was a close ally of the late president and fathered two children with his daughter.

His avenue for contesting the result appeared uncertain. Elections in Africa are frequently disputed but it is unusual for results to be overturned.

Ping said he was not calling on his supporters to protest because they were already under so much pressure from authorities. He said he feared arms would be planted in his party headquarters and he could be arrested as a result.

There was no independent confirmation of events at the headquarters.

Voting was peaceful but the election followed a bitter campaign in which both sides traded accusations of fraud. Several Libreville residents said social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were not functioning.

An EU observer mission criticised a “lack of transparency” among institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.

Former colonial ruler France’s foreign ministry said the way in which the results were announced was a source of concern.

“We think it is necessary to publish the results of all the polling stations. The credibility of the election as well as Gabon’s international reputation are at stake,” it said.

The statement was echoed by the U.S. Department of State, which urged all sides to “temper their rhetoric and encourage their supporters to remain calm”. It also called upon Gabon’s security forces to exercise restraint.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he called “on all political leaders to address their differences peacefully and to address any disputes they may have through existing constitutional and legal channels”.</s>Libreville (AFP) - Gabon security forces were attempting to storm the opposition headquarters early Thursday, leaving several people injured, party leader Jean Ping told AFP, hours after President Ali Bongo claimed victory in contested polls.

"They attacked around 1:00 am (0000 GMT). It is the republican guard. They were bombarding with helicopters and then they attacked on the ground. There are 19 people injured, some of them very seriously," said Ping, who was not at the party headquarters himself.</s>Gabon opposition leader says two killed, many wounded after disputed vote

LIBREVILLE, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping said on Thursday two people were killed and many wounded when the presidential guard and police attacked his party's headquarters overnight after an election narrowly won by President Ali Bongo.

Ping called for international assistance to protect the population of the oil-producing state and said Saturday's election was stolen by Bongo, who was declared the winner on Wednesday.

The result gives the president a further seven years in power in the country of 1.8 million people. Bongo took power in 2009 on the death of his father, who had ruled for 42 years.

"Everybody knows that I won the election," Ping told Reuters, adding that the electoral commission's figures were based on false documents.

"The (Bongo) family are repeating the same scenario for almost half a century. The opposition can win the elections but they have never had access to power... We need assistance from the rest of the world to protect the population of Gabon from a clan of mercenaries, a rogue state," he said.

Opposition supporters greeted the election result with anger. Demonstrators in the capital Libreville clashed with police and set part of the parliament building on fire. It burned for hours before being extinguished, witnesses said.

On Thursday there were fresh clashes in the impoverished Nkembo neighbourhood near the centre of the capital. Gunfire and explosions could be heard, witnesses said. A government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for an immediate end to violence. France is Gabon's former colonial power and retains strong economic and cultural links.

"Within the framework of a political process, there's no room for violence," Ayrault said in a statement. "I'm calling, therefore, all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid additional victims."

France, the United States and the European Union urged calm and called on authorities to release the results of individual polling stations for greater transparency, while the United Nations also urged restraint.

Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes against 48.23 percent for Ping, on a turnout of 59.46 percent, according to results given region by region by Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya.

"This victory by such a tight score obliges ... each of us to respect the verdict of the ballot box and our institutions," Bongo said in the text of a speech distributed to reporters.

Ping, a political insider who has served as foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, was a close ally of the late president and fathered two children with his daughter.

His avenue for contesting the result appeared uncertain. Elections in Africa are frequently disputed but it is unusual for results to be overturned.

Ping said he was not calling on his supporters to protest because they were already under so much pressure from authorities. He said he feared arms would be planted in his party headquarters and he could be arrested as a result.

Voting was peaceful but the election followed a bitter campaign in which both sides traded accusations of fraud. Opposition suspicions were heightened when the release of results was delayed earlier in the week.

An EU observer mission criticised a "lack of transparency" among institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.

France's Foreign Ministry also said the way in which the results were announced was a source of concern.

"We think it is necessary to publish the results of all the polling stations. The credibility of the election as well as Gabon's international reputation are at stake," it said. (Additional reporting by Matthew Mpoke Bigg in Accra, Tim Cocks in Dakar and Joe Bavier in Abidjan; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Toby Chopra)</s>Gabon opposition says two killed as security forces storm HQ

Two people were killed and more than a dozen injured as Gabon security forces stormed the opposition's headquarters early Thursday after disputed polls, the party leader Jean Ping told AFP.

"There are two dead and many injured according to a reliable source," said Ping, who was not at the headquarters building.

Violence has swept the capital Libreville since President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of polls by a slim margin over Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official.</s>Gabon security forces were attempting to storm the opposition headquarters early Thursday, leaving several people injured, party leaders said, hours after President Ali Bongo claimed victory in contested polls.

"They attacked around 1:00 am (0000 GMT). It is the republican guard. They were bombarding with helicopters and then they attacked on the ground. There are 19 people injured, some of them very seriously," said opposition presidential candidate Jean Ping, who was not at the party headquarters himself.

The president of the opposition National Union party, Zacharie Myboto, who was inside the besieged building, said security forces were hurling tear gas canisters and had opened fire.

"For nearly an hour the building has been surrounded. They want to enter the building... it is extremely violent," he said.

The government could not be reached for comment.

Results of the presidential election were announced Wednesday afternoon, handing Bongo his third term by a thin margin over a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official Ping.

Angry protesters took to the streets shortly after the announcement, and set fire to the parliament building as they accused the government of stealing the election.

The opposition has described the election as fraudulent and called for voting figures from each of Gabon's polling stations to be made public to ensure the credibility of overall result -- a demand echoed by the United States and European Union.</s>Supporters of Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping have taken to the streets to protest the outcome of the presidential election. By Marco Longari (AFP)

Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's opposition leader said security forces killed two people and wounded 19 at his headquarters Thursday, as violence erupted after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of disputed polls.

Thousands of angry protesters poured onto the streets of Libreville late Wednesday, accusing the government of stealing the election after Bongo won a second term by a razor-thin margin over rival Jean Ping.

Gunfire crackled across the city and plumes of smoke billowed from the torched parliament building as protesters clashed with heavily armed security forces.

By mid-morning Thursday, security forces had sealed off the city centre, which was calm and otherwise deserted, and were making arrests around the opposition headquarters, AFP journalists said.

It was not immediately clear where Ping -- a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official who had earlier declared himself the poll winner -- had taken refuge.

Scenes of pillaging were reported from outlying districts and telephone and internet communications were cut.

The parliament building's facade was blackened by fire and its windows were smashed. Protesters had torn down its huge main gate and torched a sentry box at the entrance.

On the city's main artery, the Boulevard Triomphal -- the location of numerous government institutions and foreign embassies -- burnt-out buildings and cars could be seen, while makeshift barricades were still smouldering.

Security forces had surrounded the opposition headquarters overnight and stormed the building, killing two and injuring more than a dozen there, Ping told AFP.

"They attacked around 1:00 am (0000 GMT). It is the Republican Guard. They were bombarding with helicopters and then they attacked on the ground. There are 19 people injured, some of them very seriously," said Ping, who was not himself at the party headquarters.

The president of the opposition National Union party, Zacharie Myboto, who was inside the besieged building, said security forces were hurling tear gas canisters and had opened fire.

"For nearly an hour the building has been surrounded. They want to enter the building... it is extremely violent," he said shortly after the siege began.

A government spokesman said the operation was to catch "criminals" who had earlier set fire to the parliament building.

"Armed people who set fire to the parliament had gathered at Jean Ping's headquarters along with hundreds of looters and thugs... they were not political protesters but criminals," said Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze.

"We have said that the people of Gabon are in danger. They (the international community) should come and help us against the clan (of Bongo)," Ping told AFP.

The results of the presidential election, announced earlier Wednesday, handed Bongo a second term and extended his family's nearly five-decade-long rule.

However, the results -- which gave Bongo 49.8 percent to Ping's 48.23 percent (a gap of less than 6,000 votes) -- remain "provisional" until approved by the constitutional court.

The opposition described the election as fraudulent and called for results from each of Gabon's polling stations to be made public to ensure the credibility of the overall outcome -- a demand echoed by the United States and European Union.

"This will help give the people of Gabon -- as well as the international community -- confidence the announced vote tallies are accurate," said US State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Ping told France's Europe 1 radio early Thursday: "Everyone knows that he (Bongo) cheated. Ask in Europe. Everyone knows."

EU observers said the vote was "managed in a way that lacked transparency" and opposition delegates in the electoral commission have already vowed to fight for a recount.

Any appeal by Ping would likely focus on disputed results in Haut-Ogooue province, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

In Saturday's vote, turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of votes.

"It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission told AFP, asking not to be named.

"We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added.

Bongo took power in 2009 in a violence-marred election that followed the death of his father Omar Bongo, who had governed the oil-rich former French colony for 41 years.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for calm and voiced concern over the clashes and arson, urging political leaders "to address their differences peacefully and to address any disputes they may have through existing constitutional and legal channels."

Former colonial power France said it was "extremely concerned" by the situation and urged "maximum restraint" on all sides.

One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, though the country boasts one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 (7,400 euros) thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

Bongo, 57, campaigned under the slogan "Let's change together", playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term and stressing the need to break with the bad old days of disappearing public funds and suspect management of oil revenues.</s>LIBREVILLE, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Loud explosions and gunfire resounded through the Nkembo neighbourhood of Gabon’s capital on Thursday as security forces clashed with protesters angry at an election victory for President Ali Bongo they said was rigged, witnesses said.

Clashes over the election result started on Wednesday when the parliament was partially set on fire. Overnight, security forces assaulted the headquarters of opposition leader Jean Ping, according to Ping and witnesses. (Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Toby Chopra)</s>An employee walks past debris as he attempts to salvage items from a looted shop in Libreville on September 1, 2016. By Marco Longari (AFP)

Libreville (AFP) - The swankiest street in Gabon's capital was Thursday littered with the smouldering detritus of a night of election riots.

On Boulevard Triomphal smoking barricades, torched buildings and blackened car chassis lay in testament to the wave of anger that swept over the city after Wednesday's announcement that President Ali Bongo had been reelected by the slimmest of margins.

Among the many important buildings on this boulevard is the national assembly, which was set ablaze by protestors who also managed to break down the building's massive front door.

Many of parliament's windows burst in the heat of the fire, the guardhouse was burned to ashes and all vehicles in the car park reduced to shells.

On Thursday, police used tear gas to prevent crowds gathering outside parliament and continued to detain people coming out of the building.

Very similar damage was done to the nearby office of the pro-government daily Union newspaper, which did not publish on Thursday.

A shopping mall was also set on fire.

Down the road lies the headquarters of opposition candidate Jean Ping, who has rejected the results of Saturday's poll as fraudulent.

Security forces stormed the HQ in the early hours of Thursday. Ping said two people were killed and 19 injured. A Red Cross worker later said one of the injured, who had been taken to hospital later died.

Many makeshift roadblocks fashioned by protestors from tree trunks, rubble and furniture continued to smoulder Thursday.

Shops ravaged by looters and more torched cars on Democracy Roundabout, at the end of the boulevard, showed that it suffered the worst of the violence.

Soldiers were deployed at a fuel station to deter further looting.

After the announcement that Bongo had won 49.8 percent of the vote, fewer than 6,000 ballots more than Ping, thousands of people took to the streets to accuse the government of stealing the election.

Police said more than 200 people had been arrested for looting.</s>Libreville (AFP) - Two people were killed and more than a dozen injured as Gabon security forces stormed the opposition's headquarters early Thursday after disputed polls, the party leader Jean Ping told AFP.

"There are two dead and many injured according to a reliable source," said Ping, who was not at the headquarters building.

Violence has swept the capital Libreville since President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of polls by a slim margin over Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official.</s>LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — An opposition official says more than two dozen supporters who were detained in Gabon after election results were announced have been released.

Paul-Marie Gondjout with the National Union opposition party said late Friday the 27 people blocked inside the opposition candidate's campaign headquarters by security forces were allowed to leave after more than 24 hours.

Their candidate, Jean Ping, has claimed election fraud after narrowly finishing second. Election officials say the vote was won by incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose father had ruled the country since the 1960s.

Burnt out cars are seen outside a government building, following an election protest in Libreville, Gabon, Thursday Sept. 1, 2016. Gabon's newly re-elected president sought to assert authority Thursday as the presidential guard attacked the opposition candidate's party headquarters overnight, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen amid fiery protests that have seen hundreds detained and the internet blocked. (AP Photo/Joel Bouopda)

Ping's supporters have taken to the streets in protest, and at least three people have been killed.

A government spokesman has said security forces seized Ping's headquarters with the 27 people inside because the protests allegedly were being planned there.

Gabonese Police patrol a street following an election protest in Libreville, Gabon, Thursday Sept. 1, 2016. Gabon's newly re-elected president sought to assert authority Thursday as the presidential guard attacked the opposition candidate's party headquarters overnight, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen amid fiery protests that have seen hundreds detained and the internet blocked.( AP Photo/Joel Bouopda)

Gabonese Police stand guards on a barricade following an election protest in Libreville, Gabon, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016. Gabon's newly re-elected president sought to assert authority Thursday as the presidential guard attacked the opposition candidate's party headquarters overnight, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen amid fiery protests that have seen hundreds detained and the internet blocked. (AP Photo/Joel Bouopda)

Barricades are seen on a street following an election protest in Libreville, Gabon, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016. Gabon's newly re-elected president sought to assert authority Thursday as the presidential guard attacked the opposition candidate's party headquarters overnight, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen amid fiery protests that have seen hundreds detained and the internet blocked.(AP Photo/Joel Bouopda)

Gabonese Police stand guards on a barricade following an election protest in Libreville, Gabon, Thursday Sept. 1, 2016. Gabon's newly re-elected president sought to assert authority Thursday as the presidential guard attacked the opposition candidate's party headquarters overnight, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen amid fiery protests that have seen hundreds detained and the internet blocked.( AP Photo/Joel Bouopda)

A man walk past a barricade following an election protest in Libreville, Gabon, Thursday Sept. 1, 2016. Gabon's newly re-elected president sought to assert authority Thursday as the presidential guard attacked the opposition candidate's party headquarters overnight, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen amid fiery protests that have seen hundreds detained and the internet blocked. (AP Photo/Joel Bouopda)
Large explosions and gunfire are reported in the Gabonese capital Libreville as security forces clash with supporters of opposition presidential candidate Jean Ping protesting the election results indicating a narrow victory by President Ali Bongo Ondimba.