DAKAR . – Gabon’s president Ali Bongo is now believed to be in Morocco.

In a post on her Facebook page, Sylvia Bongo wrote that her husband’s health had improved significantly and that he would travel to Rabat on Wednesday.

“To pursue his convalescence, the president, in conservation with his close family, has decided to accept the proposal of his brother, His Majesty the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI,” she said.

The Gabonese presidency eventually admitted he was “seriously ill” and had undergone surgery but this was after an extended period of silence, one reminiscent of the secrecy that shrouded the ill health and eventual demise of former president Omar Bongo who was Ali’s father.

President Bongo (59) has not been seen in public since being admitted in Riyadh hospital during an economic forum on October 24. Gabon’s top court ruled earlier this month that the vice president would chair the cabinet in Bongo’s absence.

The Bongo family has ruled the oil-producing country for nearly half a century. Bongo has been president since succeeding his father, Omar, who died in 2009. His re-election in 2016 was marred by claims of fraud and violent protest.

Meanwhile, President Bongo has reportedly asked advisers from the presidency to join him in Rabat to consult on affairs of state, his wife added. – Africa News/Reuters/HR