Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza dies aged 55 of ‘cardiac arrest’

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has died aged 55 of ‘cardiac arrest’ the government announced yesterday.

The president had run Burundi for 15 years and was due to step down this August after having served three terms.  

It is suspected, however, that his death may have been linked to coronavirus. President Nkurunziza attended a volleyball match on Saturday only to fall ill that same evening and was taken to hospital.

The government issued an official statement, saying that despite seeming to improve on Sunday, “surprisingly, on morning of Monday June 8, 2020, his health suddenly deteriorated and he had a heart attack”.

Speculation has arisen as to the nature of his death, as his wife is rumoured to have been flown to Nairobi, Kenya ten days ago having contracted coronavirus. No report has yet been confirmed.

Burundi has not implemented any lockdown measures against the coronavirus and the government recently expelled the World Health Organisation’s team working on Covid-19.

President Nkurunziza had been fiercely opposed to implementing social restrictions, allowing all public gatherings to go ahead including rallies and sports matches. His spokesperson defended his decision not to lockdown, saying “Burundi … has signed a special covenant with God, whether you believe it or not”.

The President leaves behind a controversial record, having led the country out of civil war and taken the role of the nation’s “preacher, but is also accused on multiple accounts by the UN of human rights abuses.

Photo:AFP