The President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, died at the age of 55, following a heart attack two months before the deadline for handing over power to his successor, after 15 years in the rule of this African country.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Burundian government confirmed the death of President Nkurunziza, announcing the 7-day mourning, and flags were lowered.
The statement indicated that the president was transferred to the hospital last Saturday, after he felt pain while practicing volleyball.
Although he was hospitalized and his condition improved relatively Sunday, he died on Monday, in the absence of his wife, who traveled to the Kenyan capital Nairobi late last month to receive treatment, after she was infected with the emerging coronavirus.
Nkurunziza was preparing to hand over the country's presidency next August to his close friend, General Evarist Ndayeshimiye, the candidate of the ruling party that won the elections.
Nkurunziza surprised observers when he decided not to run in the elections last May, although the constitutional amendments that were passed in the referendum in 2018 extended the number of states of the government and allowed him to remain in office until 2034.
Nkurunziza - who has held the position since 2005 - decided not to run for a fourth term, but chose General Evarist Ndayeshimiye as his "successor", and he won the elections as a candidate for the ruling party.
Supporter of Heaven
Nkurunziza believed that God chose him to lead this east African country, and he ruled the country with an iron fist.
His election to a third term in 2015 led to a deep political crisis in the country, which killed at least 1,200 people and displaced about 400,000.
While he was sworn in in 2015, the zealous Evangelical President said that God supported him, and he warned his enemies that "they will be scattered like the flour that is thrown into the air because the God of Heaven witnessed it."
The World Bank classifies Burundi as one of the three poorest countries in the world, and it is estimated that 75% of its population lives below the poverty line, compared to 65% when Nkurunziza comes to power.