Bongo Successor Must Fight Corruption In Gabon - Annan

Former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan said Wednesday the successor to Gabon's late president Omar Bongo Ondimba must respect human rights and fight corruption.

"I hope that they select someone who is a model, who accepts human rights, that the rights of man and the state are very important for the population," Annan told journalists.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Africa meeting in Cape Town, Annan added that Gabon's next president must "fight corruption, which is a big problem in that country and in the region."

Bongo died Monday in Spain at age 73 after 41 years in power, making him the longest-serving non-royal leader in the world.

South African President Jacob Zuma, addressing the opening of the WEF conference attended by over 800 delegates including five heads of state, also expressed his sorrow at Bongo's death.

"His contribution to peace in the continent is well known. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and the Gabonese people," Zuma said.

A transitional president was sworn in Wednesday, making Senate speaker Rose Francine Rogombe the country's first female president.