Gabon President Bongo receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia

The government of Gabon says President Ali Bongo Ondimba is recovering from an undisclosed illness in Saudi Arabia.

The Central African nation's presidency said in a statement on Sunday that the latest word about the president's health was “extremely reassuring” and Bongo “continues to perform his duties.”

The statement was released amid a swirl of rumors about the 59-year-old president's health.

Officials said Bongo got dizzy at his hotel in Riyad on Oct. 24 and was taken to King Faisal Hospital.

Bongo is the son of Gabon's late President Omar Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich country nation from 1967 until he died in 2009. Ali Bongo won a special presidential election a few months later, although the opposition claimed it was rigged. He was re-elected in 2016.

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