President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi dies of heart failure

President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi has died of heart failure, according to the government statement on Tuesday.

“The Government of the Republic of Burundi announces with great sadness the unexpected death of His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of Burundi following heart failure on June 8, 2020,” it said in a post on its official Twitter account.

Nkurunziza was hospitalised over the weekend and his health “abruptly changed” on Monday, Burundi's presidency said on Tuesday.

An evangelical who believed he was chosen by God to rule the East African nation, Nkurunziza came to power in 2005, when he was selected by parliament.

His controversial and ultimately successful bid for a third term in 2015 plunged the country into crisis.

The violence left at least 1,200 people dead, displaced hundreds of thousands and the authorities carried out a sustained crackdown on the opposition and media.

His death comes on the heels of elections on May 20 in which his hand-picked successor, Evariste Ndayishimiye, secured a seven-year term as president — a result confirmed by the constitutional court last Thursday.

Ndayishimiye was due to be sworn in in August.

The government has announced that the country would observe seven days of mourning beginning Tuesday in honour of Mkurunziza.