The President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, has died of a heart attack, an official government Twitter account has announced.
“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,” the statement read.
Pierre Nkurunziza was 55.
A government statement says that he was admitted to hospital on Saturday after feeling unwell.
His condition then improved but on Monday he had a cardiac arrest and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Nkurunziza was the outgoing president who had been in power since 2005. He was due to hand over in August to his political ally, Evariste Ndayishimiye who was declared earlier this month the winner of a May 20 presidential election.
