Gabon president to recuperate in Rabat not London

Ailing Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba will be flown to the Morrocan capital, Rabat, for medical recuperation after spending a month in a Saudi hospital.

A report earlier this week by the Jeune Afrique magazine said Bongo’s team had opted for London ahead of Rabat for his recuperation. But a source close to the presidency told AFP that the 59-year-old will be convalescing in Rabat.

The official government account said he had suffered severe fatigue from his domestic and international obligations, Reuters also quoted sources as saying he suffered a stroke.

A brief timeline of Bongo’s Saudi hospitalization

• October 25 – Bongo admitted to the King Fahd hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – source at presidency tells Jeune Afrique.
• October 29 – Government confirms hospitalization, warns against spread of fake news
• October 31 – Cameroon channel banned for six-months for reporting Bongo’s death
• November 11 – Bongo recovering his faculties, remains in charge – Presidency
• November 14 – Opposition demands clarity on Bongo’s health
• November 15 – Constitutional Court orders veep to chair cabinet meeting in Bongo’s absence
• November 21 – Jeune Afrique reports Bongo to convalesce in London

Then minister Bongo was took over the reins in the oil-rich central African nation in 2009 following the death of his father Omar Bongo who had been president for over four decades.

Ali won hotly contested polls in 2016 to secure his second-term in charge. The main opponent and former colleague minister, Jean Ping, unsuccessfully contested the results. Ping, a former African Union chief, insists he was the constitutionally elected president.