Gabon: where a first lady is buried in 'another' country

The mortal remains of Gabonese first lady, Edith Lucie Bongo, have been buried in Congo. The first lady was buried in her native village of Edou, located some 400 km (250 miles) north of Congo's capital Brazzaville, over the weekend rather than Gabon, where she was first lady for closed to two decades.

The corps of Edith Mbongo, who died in a clinic in Rabat Morocco, early this month were transported to Gabon, Wednesday 18 March, on board a 747 Royal Air Maroc, plane.
She died after spending several weeks in the hospital for an undisclosed ailment.
Amongst those present at the airport to receive the corps were thousand of sympathizers including Edith’s father, Denise Sassou Nguesso. Nguesso, who doubles as president of Congo, was often seen crying cried uncontrollably.

The remains were then taken to the state house for funeral, national honors and without doubt a night vigi before taken to her native Congo for burial.
Sources say she was buried in Congo, in respect of her “Mbochis” tradition and upon request by the Nguesso family.
Some African presidents who attended the burial ceremony including Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, Francois Bozize of Central African Republic, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea and Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo, each performed the traditional laying of wreath of flowers before the coffin which was decorated by the Gabonese flag.

Born on March 10, 1964, in Congo – Brazaville, Edith, got married to Omar Bongo Ondimba – Africa’s longest serving president in 1990. A medical doctor by profession, the late First Lady, played a prominent role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Gabon in particular and Africa in general through the African First Ladies Organisation.
Though the actual cause of her death is still unknown, Edith was rumored of suffering from Pakingson and witchcraft when she fell sick and was admitted in a hospital in Pais – France, a couple of years ago. It was widely believed Edith fell sick after torching some of her husband’s fetiche items accidentally.
She leaves behind two children – Yasmine and Jr.

Her husband Omar Bongo Ondimba, became president in 1967, when he was 31. At this time Bongo was Africa's fourth youngest president after. Presently he is said to be world's longest serving ruler, excluding monarchies.
Gabon is a country in west central Africa. Its size is almost 270,000 km² with an estimated population of 1,500,000. The capital and largest city is Libreville. Since its independence from France, in 1960, the country has been ruled by two presidents.