Gabon’s junta pays first instalment of debt-for-nature fund money – TNC
THE junta that seized power in Gabon in August has paid the first instalment of conservation fund money that forms a key part of a pioneering "debt-for-nature" deal sealed just before its coup. The $500 million debt swap was the first of its kind on continental Africa and saw the government of overthrown president Ali Bongo commit to protecting Gabon's coastal waters that host the world's largest population of leatherback turtles. His removal though raised concerns the newly inked deal could fall apart and even trigger a sovereign debt default that would cause further problems in the central African country. Junta officials have since…