President in the 1980s in Colombia, Belisario Betancur, had been admitted to the hospital for kidney problems.
Former Colombian President Belisario Betancur (1982-1986) died Friday at age 95, announced the clinic where he was admitted.
"I deeply regret the death of a great friend, a great Colombian, former President Belisario Betancur. Its political, historical and cultural heritage is an example for all future generations , " responded head of state Ivan Duque on Twitter.
Lamento profundamente the muerte of a gran amigo, a great colombiano, ex presidente Belisario Betancur. Su legado en la política, in nuestra historia, in the cultura es ejemplo para todas las generaciones futuras. Nuestras condolencias has sus familiares y amigos.
- Iván Duque (@IvanDuque) December 7, 2018His death was announced by mistake the day before
The Santa Fe Foundation of Bogota, where the former leader had been hospitalized for kidney problems, said in a statement that the death occurred at 14:32 local (20 h 32 GMT).
Thursday, Vice President of Colombia Marta Lucia Ramirez had mistakenly announced in a tweet the death of the former leader, before erasing and apologizing.
Several media then took up the message.
A president facing rebellions
This conservative, who ruled Colombia from 1982 to 1986, was the first head of state to open a dialogue with the leftist rebellions that emerged in the 1960s. He assured that concluding "peace of the land" was "something something he would have liked, but could not reach.
During his tenure, the former president was confronted with a resurgence of the violence derived from drug trafficking and the most deadly attack in the history of Colombia: the taking of the Palace of Justice which had ended by a hundred dead and 11 missing, in the heart of Bogota.