Francis Sala Ngouah Beaud, a journalist and former member of Andre Mba Obame’s (who came in second in the August 30 election) campaign team, in an interview over the weekend on Gabonese national television, claimed that the violence that rocked Port-Gentil after the announcement of presidential results were "inevitable" and that the ex-presidentail candidate had sought to destabilise the country with the help of mercenaries from Equatorial Guinea. Sunday, Malabo "vehemently denied" any "interference" and "any attempt at destabilising" Gabon, and called the charges "lies pure and simple".