Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza dies of a heart attack aged 55

The President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, has died of a heart attack aged 55. 

Burundi’s government announced Nkurunziza’s ‘unexpected’ death with ‘great sadness’ in a statement today, declaring a national week of mourning. 

Nkurunziza had felt unwell on Saturday and ‘to very great surprise’ his health worsened yesterday, leading to a cardiac arrest from which he died in hospital.   

The head of state was due to leave office in August after a controversial 15-year term marked by claims of repression and human rights abuses. 

Nkurunziza took office in 2005 under a power-sharing deal following a 12-year civil war which left 300,000 people dead.  

His decision to run for a disputed third term in 2015 plunged the country into violence, leading to hundreds more deaths. 

Facing allegations of widespread abuses, his government became the first country to leave the International Criminal Court in 2017. 

Human Rights Watch says the police and ruling party are known to carry out ‘widespread human rights abuses’ including killings and arbitrary arrests. 

Nkurunziza’s party was confirmed as the winner of May’s election last week, paving the way for the first peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1962.

The outgoing president had backed retired army general Evariste Ndayishimiye as his successor and saw him win nearly 70 per cent of the vote.

The opposition National Freedom Council (CNL), headed by Agathon Rwasa, had alleged the May 20 election was riddled with fraud and irregularities. 

In addition, a WHO official was expelled from the country during the campaign after the agency raised concerns about crowded rallies spreading coronavirus. 

However, a panel of judges ruled last week that the results were valid and that opposition complaints were ‘null and void’.