Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza dies

Outgoing, Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza has died, he was 55.

According to the government reports, Nkurunziza suffered a heart attack.

The Burundian government announced on Twitter “with great sorrow to Burundians and the international community” the passing of Nkurunziza,.

The Government of the Republic of Burundi announces with great sadness the unexpected death of His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of Burundi, at the Karusi Fiftieth Anniversary Hospital following a cardiac arrest on June 8, 2020,”.

Nkurunziza’s death follows 10 days after his wife, Denise Bucumi Nkurunziza was airlifted to Nairobi in a suspected case of Covid-19.

She is said to be at Aga Khan Hospital.

Nkurunziza had been the president of Burundi since 2005.

For the first times since he assumed power, he didn’t contest in the May 2020 elections.

He was expected to hand over power to retired general Evariste Ndayishimiye in August, at the time of his passing.

According to the new law which was set up in Burundi, shortly before the elections, Nkurunziza was to assume the tittle of Supreme Guide of Patriotism” after stepping down as president.

The tittle of Supreme Guide also came with several benefits, including a $540,000 (£440,000) retirement pay-out and a luxury villa.

It still wasn’t clear if he was going to retreat into the shadows or continue to steal the limelight.

Nkurunziza was once the subject of a failed coup 5 years ago while he was in Tanzania for a summit and an army general announced on radio that they had removed him from power.

The coup just lasted 2 days, from 13–15 May 2015, before his government took control again and the coup plotters were arrested.