Africa Well Rid of Thieves Like Gabon's Bongo

Shy President Préval has been largely MIA since quake

(NEWSER) - Since Haiti was devastated by last Tuesday's earthquake, the country's president has been so invisible that many Haitians are wondering whether they have a government at all. Haitian officials say the government of President René Préval is too incapacitated to take any public role, but longtime politician Préval has always been averse to the public stage, the Washington Post reports. More»

Says government responsibility key to 'economic progress'

(AP) - Hillary Clinton criticized Kenya today for rampant graft and corruption as she made the case that business and trade across Africa cannot grow without good governance and solid democracy. In President Obama's ancestral homeland, the secretary of State said, "True economic progress in Africa will depend on responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law, and deliver results for their people." More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama today warned Africans that corruption and strong-arm tactics must be overcome if the continent is to see prosperity, and he promised US support to nations on the right path, Politico reports. “America will be with you,” Obama said in Ghana. “As a partner. As a friend.” (He also dusted off his campaign theme, "Yes you can," for his hosts.) The president highlighted the connection between the two with his own history. The “blood of Africa” is “within me,” he said. More»

French president booed, taunted in Gabon

(NEWSER) - Crowds in the African nation of Gabon booed Nicolas Sarkozy at the funeral of the country's long-serving strongman president, Omar Bongo. Dozens of onlookers shouted "We don't want you, leave!" at the French leader and his predecessor, Jacques Chirac. France ruled Gabon in the colonial era and kept close ties to the oil-rich nation after independence. More»

In office since 1967, he was world's longest-serving leader

(NEWSER) - Gabonese President Omar Bongo has died of cardiac arrest at age 73, the BBC reports. Bongo has led Gabon since 1967, which made him the longest serving president in the world. Bongo has been in a hospital in Barcelona since May, and prior rumors of his death had sparked panic in Gabon, with food stockpiling threatening to close shops. More»