After months abroad, the Bongo of Gabon swear by his new government

Ali Bongo, from Gabon, returned to Libreville on Tuesday, after months abroad after a convalescence, ending an absence that provoked political turmoil.

Back from Morocco early in the morning, Bongo presided over a ceremony at which new government ministers were sworn in, officials said.

Gabon has been without a government for months since Bongo, 59, suffered a stroke in late October during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

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After initial treatment at a hospital in Riyadh, Bongo was transferred to Morocco where he spent a little more than six weeks, before returning home early Tuesday in Libreville, officials said.

His return took place eight days after a small group of renegade soldiers briefly attempted to organize a coup d'etat before its cancellation by security forces, who arrested the leader and killed two other.

Since the protracted absence of Bongo, the country has been in limbo for months and presidential palace officials have not said if he was back or he would return to the Moroccan capital, Rabat, for a new convalescence.

On Saturday afternoon, a new government was unveiled in a Rabat video, although no significant changes were made to the cabinet or the government.

The 38 ministers arrived Tuesday morning at the presidential palace near the beach in Libreville. They were sworn in at a ceremony presided over by Bongo, which was closed to the press, officials said.

– "A very difficult test" –
Bongo has not been seen in public since he was taken to hospital on October 24 in Riyadh, but official photos of the ceremony were due to be released on Tuesday.

"It was very moving to see him," government spokesman Nanette Longa-Makinda told AFP.

"It will certainly take him several months to fully recover his physical abilities, that's for sure," said a minister, who requested anonymity.

"He looks like someone who has gone through a very difficult ordeal," agreed another cabinet colleague at the ceremony.

"We can no longer speak of a power vacuum," insisted a presidential spokesman, echoing a phrase repeated by many ministers at the end of the ceremony.

But the return of Bongo and the ceremony have not alleviated the persistent suspicions of the public in this oil-rich West African state.

"The circus continues", tweeted Marc Ona Essangui, leader of the civil society.

When Bongo began to fall ill, the singular lack of official news – as well as memories of the secret surrounding the death of his father, Omar Bongo, in 2009 – fueled a series of rumors, including rumors that he was incapable, even dead.

The Bongo family ruled Gabon for five decades and has long maintained close ties with the former colonial master, France.

Ali Bongo was elected head of state following the death of his father and was re-elected in 2016 following a presidential election marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud.

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