Name Edith Bongo Religion Islam Parents Denis Sassou Nguesso | Children two Political party Democratic | |
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Occupation First Lady of Gabon, physician Died March 14, 2009, Rabat, Morocco Grandparents Emilienne Mouebara, Julien Nguesso Similar People Omar Bongo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Pascaline Bongo Ondimba, Denis‑Christel Sassou Nguesso | ||
UNE PREMIÈRE SASSOU NGUESSO ROULE PAR TERRE PLEURE SA FILLE AÎNÉE ÉDITH LUCIE BONGO PREMIÈRE DAME
Édith Lucie Bongo Ondimba (March 10, 1964 – March 14, 2009) was the First Lady of Gabon as the wife of President Omar Bongo from 1990 to 2009.
Contents
- UNE PREMIRE SASSOU NGUESSO ROULE PAR TERRE PLEURE SA FILLE ANE DITH LUCIE BONGO PREMIRE DAME
- 5 edith lucie bongo ondimba la valeur d une vie 5
- Biography
- Death
- References
5 edith lucie bongo ondimba la valeur d une vie 5
Biography
The daughter of Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso, her marriage to President Bongo on August 4, 1990, was reportedly viewed politically as an example of cooperation between the two countries, according to Reuters.
Édith Bongo was a medical doctor by education, a pediatrician, with HIV/AIDS as one of her main focuses. She played a pivotal role in establishing a forum for African first ladies dedicated to combating AIDS and initiated organizations aimed at supporting vulnerable children and individuals with disabilities.
Death
In 2009, she was hospitalized in Rabat, Morocco. On March 14, 2009, she died at the hospital, four days after her 45th birthday. The statement announcing her death specified neither the cause of death nor the nature of her illness. She had not appeared in public for around three years preceding her death. After the state funeral in Libreville, Gabon, Édith Bongo's remains were taken to Edu, her father's home village in northern Congo for a traditional Mbochi tribal burial in the family cemetery there on March 20, 2009. The burial, nationally televised in Gabon and Congo, was attended Presidents Bongo, Sassou Nguesso, and by the presidents of Benin, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Togo.
Following her death, it was announced on Gabonese television on 6 May 2009 that Omar Bongo was "temporarily suspending his activities" as President in order to "regain strength and rest". The announcement stressed that Bongo had been deeply affected by the illness and death of his wife. President Bongo died a month later on 8 June 2009, nearly three months after Edith's death, at a clinic in Barcelona, Spain.