UN-Secretary-General-Antnio-Guterres
death was confirmed by the countrys government on its official Twitter page.
The tweet reads, 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, following heart failure on June 8, 2020.
The deceased was due to be replaced in August by political ally Evariste Ndayishimiye, who won the May 20, 2020 Presidential election.
A statement by the Burundian authority said Nkurunziza had attended a volleyball match on Saturday afternoon and was taken to the hospital that evening after falling ill.
Although he appeared to recover on Sunday and spoke to those around him, his condition suddenly deteriorated on Monday morning.
He then suffered a heart attack and despite an immediate resuscitation attempt, doctors were unable to revive him.
Nkurunzizadied at a hospital in Karuzi, eastern Burundi.
The government said there would be a period of national mourning for seven days from Tuesday and that flags would be flown at half-mast.
In May, Burundi expelled the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) amid criticism of the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
It has carried out very few coronavirus tests and held large rallies in the lead-up to the countrys May 20 election.
Source: NAN News