Former colonial ruler France’s foreign ministry said the way in which the results were announced was a source of concern.
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Gabon President Ali Bongo was declared the victor on Thursday of the contested polls which led to violence sweeping the capital as security forces stormed the opposition’s headquarters.
Ms Mogherini said “any challenge must be made with peaceful means in order to avoid any conflagration in the country”.
“We want everyone to see, to tour the city, to witness the level of devastation, destruction, violence organised by certain politicians who do not want to recognise their defeat”, Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya said.
The spokesman called on people contesting the vote to do so through proper legal channels.
She added that the European Union is in contact with all its African and other partners in order to promote a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Libreville residents said that the Internet was cut yesterday.
There are also reports that more than 1,000 people were arrested overnight.
Witnesses said demonstrators in several other districts vandalized a mall, looted a bank and burned buildings, including one belonging to the vice prime minister.
However, the government spokesman, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, said the operation against the opposition’s headquarters aimed to catch “criminals” who had earlier set fire to the parliament building.
Security forces cracked down after protesters attacked the national assembly building late on Wednesday, tearing down its main gate.
“They attacked around 1:00 am (0000 GMT)”.
Police chief Jean-Thierry Oye Zue said six officers had been killed in the post-vote riots and agreed there were “very probably” civilian injuries “given the violence with which they attacked us”.
Gabon’s opposition said security forces killed two people and hurt 19 in a raid on its headquarters on Thursday.
“Ping says Bongo stole the election and the people are being denied democracy in the oil-rich central African nation”.
Security forces later surrounded the building, detaining more than a dozen members of the National Union opposition party inside, said party spokeswoman Sandrine Akere.
The election result, announced on Wednesday afternoon, gave Mr Bongo a second seven-year term with 49.8% of the vote to Mr Ping’s 48.2% – a margin of 5,594 votes.
“We have said that the people of Gabon are in danger. They (the global community) should come and help us against the clan (of Bongo)”, Mr Ping told AFP.
Gabonese opposition candidate Jean Ping greets supporters outside his campaign headquarters after proclaiming that he won the presidential election in Libreville, Gabon, August 28, 2016.
Ping called the result an “electoral coup” and accused Bongo of “massive fraud” in the province of Haut-Ogooue, a Bongo stronghold which saw an nearly 100 percent turnout compared to much-lower totals elsewhere in the country.
Translation: The global community must react immediately to the presidential guard being ordered to fire on the people.
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“Everybody knows that I won the election”, Ping told Reuters, adding that the electoral commission’s figures were based on false documents.
