20 — - Marc Ona Essangui, a Gabonese cripple, has been awarded the Goldman Environment Prize, an international honour for his defence of the environment. Essangui was part of the African nominees for the prize.

He had opposed the exploitation of the gigantic iron mine in Belinga (North-east of Gabon) located in a national park and the construction of an airport in a protected forest located in Mondah, North of Libreville.

He was awarded the prize for his unrelenting efforts in the preservation of nature.

Confined to a wheelchair since he was six years old, Essangui has been working s ince 2008 for the protection of the environment.

Once jailed for denouncing local authorities for their shoddy work in the areas of forestry, mining and oil, Essangui still combats corruption and promotes the p rotection of the environment.

Last year, the Goldman Environment Prize went to Feliciano Dos Santos of Mozambique.