Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has died of heart failure, the government said on Tuesday in a post from its official Twitter account.
"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," the post said.
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 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.
A statement from Burundi's presidency on Tuesday said Nkurunziza was hospitalised over the weekend and that his health "abruptly changed" on Monday.
