Burundian president dies

Burundi declared a week of mourning after President Pierre Nkurunziza died just weeks before he would have left office. He was 56. Nkurunziza was admitted to a hospital on Saturday night and died on Monday of cardiac arrest, the government announced on Tuesday.

What was his legacy? Nkurunziza held the presidency for 15 years, winning a third term in 2015. His victory sparked widespread unrest in the country. Nkurunziza announced in 2018 that he would not seek a fourth term but was expected to retain a position in the new government. The country was set to mark its first peaceful and democratic transfer of power after Evariste Ndayishimiye won last month’s presidential election.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on Burundi’s election process during the pandemic.