LaNUBlog™

Walking on water is not easy. Not too many people have the ability. Let's see, there's Jesus, and well, that's about it. Unfortunately for one pastor on the West Coast of Africa, his attempt to become the second man to make this impossible feat a reality cost him his life. Pastor Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation that he was capable of reenacting the very miracles of Jesus Christ. He decided to make it clear through way of demonstration on Gabon's beach in the capital city of Libreville. Referencing Matthew 14:22-33, Kabele said that he received a revelation which told him that with enough faith he could achieve what Jesus was able to.

Gabon is one of West Africa's more stable countries. Between independence from France in 1960 and 2009, Gabon had just two presidents. The late president Omar Bongo was in power for over four decades. Despite being made up of more than 40 ethnic groups, Gabon has escaped the strife afflicting other West African states. This is partly down to its relative prosperity due to oil and to the presence of French troops, which in 1964 reinstated President Leon Mba after he had been overthrown in a coup. At a glance *.Politics: Gabon was ruled by just two presidents between 1960 and 2009. The current president succeeded his father *.Economy: The country is trying to diversify away from oil, whose earnings have been decreasing. Most of the population remains poor *.International: Tension persists over three small islands in oil-rich off-shore waters claimed by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. France has a military base in Gabon Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring Gabon's dep...