Death and state funeral of Omar Bongo

The second President of Gabon, Omar Bongo
Omar Bongo
El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba , born as Albert-Bernard Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon for 42 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009....

, died in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

on June 8, 2009, after having suffered from colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....

. A month of mourning and state funeral

State funeral

A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...

, spanning June 11 to 18th, followed.

After Bongo's death his coffin was flown from Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

to Libreville

Libreville

Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...

on June 11. It was driven to his presidential palace beside the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

and displayed until June 16. A state funeral service was conducted on June 16, the day that interim President Rose Francine Rogombé

Rose Francine Rogombé

Rose Francine Rogombé is a Gabonese politician who was Acting President of Gabon from June 2009 to October 2009, following the death of long-time President Omar Bongo. She constitutionally succeeded Bongo due to her role as President of the Senate, a post to which she was elected in February 2009...

declared a national day of mourning

National day of mourning

A national day of mourning is a day marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by that nation's government...

. The service was attended by dignitaries from at least forty nations. After the service, Bongo's coffin was transported to his home village for burial on June 18.

At the time of his death, Bongo had been Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

's longest serving leader.

Death

On 7 May 2009, the Gabonese Government announced that Bongo had temporarily suspended his official duties and taken time off to mourn his wife and rest in Spain.

It was reported by the international media that he was seriously ill, and undergoing treatment for cancer in hospital in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Spain

Spain

. The Gabonese government maintained that he was in Spain for a few days of rest following the "intense emotional shock" of his wife's death, but eventually admitted that he was in a Spanish clinic "undergoing a medical check up". AFP

Agence France-Presse

Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...

eventually released a report stating among other things that "While Gabon's government has insisted he was undergoing a medical check-up, several sources said he was being treated for intestinal cancer, which they said had reached an advanced stage".

On 7 June 2009, unconfirmed reports quoting French media and citing sources "close to the French government" reported that Bongo had died in Spain. The Government of Gabon denied the report. The same day, Gabon's prime minister released a statement saying that he went to visit Bongo in the Quiron clinic in Barcelona: "This morning I visited the President, accompanied by the President of the National Assembly, the Foreign Minister, the head of the President's cabinet and senior members of the presidential family and after a meeting with the medical team we can confirm that the President is alive." The Prime Minister made no comment on Bongo's state of health after reading the statement to reporters.

On 8 June 2009, the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

released a report stating that: "The Spanish foreign affairs ministry backed [Prime Minister] Ndong's assertion, saying: "We have confirmed that he [President Bongo] is alive. We have no further information about him". But later on Monday, reports in the Spanish media said Bongo had died shortly after Ndong's news conference. They quoted members of Bongo's entourage as saying the African leader had died at 12:00 GMT. The clinic and the Spanish government refused to comment on the latest reports".

The Gabonese government maintained its position. Sky News

Sky News

Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...

reported that a Gabonese government spokesman had stated: "The presidency of the Gabonese Republic would like to stress that the President of the Republic, the Head of State, His Excellency Omar Bongo is not dead ... He is continuing his holiday in Spain following his checkup at the Quiron Clinic in Barcelona". Speaking on French radio, spokesman Raphael N'Toutoume added that the latest update he had heard was good news – and that Bongo was preparing to leave the clinic. "We are getting ready to welcome the head of state. No date for his return has been set", the spokesman said. Privately, Gabonese officials were furious with the premature announcement by France, questioning how Germany would react if France announced the death of Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel

Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...

.

Bongo's death was confirmed by Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong

Jean Eyeghe Ndong

Jean Eyeghé Ndong is a Gabonese politician. He was the Prime Minister of Gabon from January 20, 2006 to July 17, 2009. He was also the First Vice-President of the Gabonese Democratic Party until 2009....

in a written statement on June 8, 2009. In his statement, Eyeghe Ndong said that Bongo had died of a heart attack shortly before 12:30 GMT on June 8.

Declarations and tributes

Interim Gabonese President Rose Francine Rogombé received the condolences of several world leaders following the death of Bongo.

The Economic Community of West African States

Economic Community of West African States

The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....

(ECOWAS) declared a thirty day period of mourning.

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

ian President Paul Biya

Paul Biya

Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...

sent his condolences to Rose Francine Rogombé, describing Bongo's death as "a great loss" to both Gabon and Africa and saying that Bongo was "an exceptional statesman and prominent political figure who had continuously worked for peace". The media in Cameroon described Bongo as "very friendly and full of good humour", with journalists remembering him affectionately. Members of the general public in Cameroon described Bongo as "a tested politician who tactfully ruled his country and left it in peace". Heads of diplomatic missions at Yaoundé

Yaoundé

-Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods...

's Gabonese Embassy mourned as did several Gabonese delegations who trooped at the Embassy.

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

ic magazine Iceland Review
Iceland Review
Iceland Review is the oldest English-language magazine about Iceland. It publishes reportage on Icelandic society, politics, pop culture, music, art, literature, current events, as well as interviews with notable Icelanders, articles on traveling in Iceland, and photo essays on Iceland...

referenced Bongo's death, calling him an "astute Gabon ruler".

Chinese

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

President Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...

sent a message of condolence "on behalf of the Chinese government and people as well as in his own name" to Rose Francine Rogombe following the death of President Omar Bongo, calling him "a close friend of the Chinese people" and saying that they would "regret losing such a faithful friend". Bongo visited China 11 times during his reign.

President of Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

, Rupiah Banda

Rupiah Banda

Rupiah Bwezani Banda is a Zambian politician who was President of Zambia from 2008 to 2011.During the Presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, Banda held important diplomatic posts and was active in politics as a member of the United National Independence Party...

expressed his condolences with the Gabonese government and people, comparing Bongo's death to that of his predecessor as Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa

Levy Mwanawasa

Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia. He ruled the country from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. He is credited for having initiated a campaign to rid the country of corruption...

, who died in 2008. Banda sent a letter to Rose Francine Rogombe, calling Bongo a "pan-Africanist who tirelessly and tenaciously worked for the unity of the African continent" and saying that Bongo's "outstanding, frank sentiments and contributions" during African Union

African Union

The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...

summits would be missed across the continent.

A 2010 FIFA World Cup

2010 FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

qualifier between Cameroon

Cameroon national football team

The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...

and Gabon

Gabon national football team

The Gabon national football team, nicknamed Azingo Nationale, is the national team of Gabon and is controlled by the Fédération Gabonaise de Football...

was postponed by FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

following Bongo's death, with FEGAFOOT

Fédération Gabonaise de Football

The Fédération Gabonaise de Football is the governing body of football in Gabon. It was founded in 1962, affiliated to FIFA in 1963 and to CAF in 1967. It organizes the national football league and the national team.-External links:...

being informed by letter. The match was rescheduled for September 5.

Period of mourning

Rose Francine Rogombé

was sworn in as interim president on June 10, 2009, immediately declaring a period of mourning lasting thirty days. A government statement issued in the daily L'Union
L'Union
L'Union is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is a suburb of Toulouse, located just to the north east of the city.-History:L'Union was founded in the 1790s after the fusion of Belbèze and Cornaudric...

newspaper on June 11, declared that day and the day of the funeral a public holiday. Businesses and offices were shut down in Libreville, with the city's mayor ordering all bars and night clubs be closed until after the funeral.

Arrival at Libreville airport

Bongo's corpse was flown by aircraft from his deathplace in Barcelona and arrived at Libreville's airport on 11 June at approximately 16:15 pm (01:15 AEST). A crowd of around 10,000 people, including diplomats, politicians and members of the country's security forces were waiting at the airport for the dead President's arrival. Several people were tearful, including cabinet chief Pascaline, also known as Bongo's daughter, who lay emotional in the arms of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Young people in the crowd were seen to wear t-shirts decorated with Bongo photos and slogans which read: "I love and admire my president". Officials were also emotional as they left the plane, Bongo's coffin in tow, draped in Gabon's national flag.

The coffin was lifted into a military vehicle and it drove off. It arrived at Bongo's oceanside presidential palace overlooking the Atlantic. There it lay in state until the President's state funeral on June 16, 2009.

Also on hand were Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....

and Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac

Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...

— the current and former French presidents and the only Western heads of state to attend. The pair arrived in a stretch limousine and were quickly escorted inside the palace as a group of people outside yelled, "No to France!" Sarkozy and Chirac later approached the coffin together and stood before it with their eyes lowered. They laid down a wreath of roses. Then, each signed a condolence book.Chad

Chad

Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...

's President Idriss Deby

Idriss Déby

General Idriss Déby Itno is the President of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006.-Rise to power:...

, bowed his head before the coffin. Cameroon's Paul Biya

Paul Biya

, placed a wreath of flowers at the foot of the coffin, as did Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

's Blaise Compaore

Blaise Compaoré

Blaise Compaoré has been the President of Burkina Faso since 1987 following a coup d'état that ousted then-President Thomas Sankara. In 2011, a mutiny by soldiers over unpaid housing allowances forced him to flee the capital for his hometown...

Military parade

A military parade was held to honour Bongo on 16 June 2009. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to say farewell to Bongo, whose flag-draped coffin was paraded through Libreville

Libreville

. The state funeral began inside the marble halls of the presidential palace. The red carpet leading to his casket was strewn with white rose petals — flown in from France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

Eulogy

In a eulogy, Bongo's son and defence minister, Ali Ben Bongo said: "You leave a peaceful, free and fair Gabon"."We, your children, your family, we take a solemn vow to keep the flame alive,".

Dignitaries

Dignitaries from many nations flew into Gabon to attend the funeral. This included approximately forty heads of state or their representatives, about a dozen of these were from within the African continent. Two French Presidents attended the funeral ceremony.

President of the Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

, François Bozizé

François Bozizé

François Bozizé Yangouvonda is the President of the Central African Republic. He came to power in March 2003 after leading a rebellion against President Ange-Félix Patassé and ushered in a transitional period of government...

, arrived in Libreville on June 11.

South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane

Maite Emily Nkoana-Mashabane is a South African politician. She has been South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since May 2009, taking over from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. She is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress...

and Sizakele Makhumalo Zuma, the wife of President Jacob Zuma

Jacob Zuma

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....

, left for Gabon on 15 June and planned to return to South Africa on 16 June.

The Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

n Prime Minister, António Paulo Kassoma

Paulo Kassoma

António Paulo Kassoma is an Angolan politician. He was Prime Minister of Angola September 2008 until the new constitution replaced his role with a vice president in February 2010.-Biography:...

, flew to Libreville on 15 June where he represented President José Eduardo dos Santos

José Eduardo dos Santos

José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician who has been the second and current President of Angola since 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the MPLA , the party that has been ruling Angola since...

.

The French

France

president Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy

attended the funeral, despite a period of diplomatic difficulties between France and Gabon. Former French President Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac

and Sarkozy laid red and white coloured roses in wreaths at the coffin. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner

Bernard Kouchner

Bernard Kouchner is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde...

was also present at the ceremony. Chirac received cheers but Sarkozy was booed by crowd members who had gathered outside the presidential palace.

Spanish Third Vice President, Manuel Chaves González

Manuel Chaves González

Manuel Chaves González is a Spanish politician of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . Since 2009 he has served as the Third Vice President of the Spanish Government and since 2000 as the Chairman of PSOE...

, attended the funeral.

Others in attendance at the funeral included President of the Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...

, Denis Sassou Nguesso

Denis Sassou Nguesso

Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...

, President of Togo

Togo

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...

, Faure Gnassingbé

Faure Gnassingbé

Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé has been the President of Togo since May 4, 2005. A son of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, he was appointed to the government by his father, serving as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications from 2003 to 2005...

, President of Cameroon, Paul Biya and Jean Ping

Jean Ping

Jean Ping is a Gabonese diplomat and politician who is currently the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union...

, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is an Equatoguinean politician who has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the 1990s...

of Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...

, and the Presidents of Benin

Benin

Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

, Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

, Burundi

Burundi

Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...

, Chad

Chad

, Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

, Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...

External links

Photo (#9) - June 8: Women wait to pay tribute to President Omar Bongo, at the presidential palace in Libreville, Gabon after his death from cancer in Barcelona.

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