Gabonese PM confirms death of President Omar Bongo

The Gabonese prime minister says the country's President Omar Bongo has passed away in a Spanish clinic.

FILE -- In this Thursday March 13, 2008 file photo, Gabon President Omar Bongo attends the opening ceremony of the Organization for the Islamic Conference summit in Dakar, Senegal.  (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, file)

73-year-old Bongo had been receiving treatment for a serious illness in the clinic since last month. He died of cardiac arrest on Monday.

Bongo took power in 1967, and his 42-year term made him longest serving president in Africa.

Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong praised him for contributing his long political life to his country and the Gabonese people.

He says the president always stood for the unity and cohesion of the Gabonese. In response to the president's death, Gabon has closed all its borders and the nation's troops are on alert.