President Pierre Nkurunziza dies suddenly of heart failure aged 55

Briefing Issue #101, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Dear RegionWeek Readers,

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza, aged 55, has died suddenly after suffering heart failure this Tuesday.

The piece of information was confirmed in an official statement made by the government of Burundi stating that President Nkurunziza first began to feel unwell after attending a volleyball match on Saturday and appeared to be improving until he took a turn for the worse on Monday when his heart stopped. President Nkurunziza died at a hospital in Karuzi in central Burundi.

"Despite intense efforts, the medical team was not able to save the patient," said the statement, adding that doctors had spent several hours trying to revive him.

The statement asked people to remain calm and announced seven days of mourning.

His death comes two months before he was due to step down after 15 years as the country's leader.

According to Burundi’s constitution, the president of the national assembly, Pascal Nyabenda, is supposed to take over in the following days.

As Burundi enters a mourning season, we will try our best to keep you updated!

Thanks for reading!

Fabrice Iranzi,

Founder and Editor in Chief, RegionWeek.com