also kept out. Local sources assured that the COVID-19 had aggravated his ailment and that is why he declined a fourth term. Death Nkurunziza died on 8 June 2020, aged 55, at the Fiftieth Anniversary Hospital in Karuzi. The Burundian government gave his cause of death as a heart attack, but it was widely suspected that he died of COVID-19. A week earlier, Kenyan newspaper The Standard reported his wife had flown without him to Nairobi, Kenya for COVID-19 treatment. Nkurunziza's death occurred after the 2020 elections, but ahead of the projected hand-over of power in August. It had been announced in May 2020 that he would continue to remain prominent in public life in the post of "Supreme Guide of Patriotism" (Guide suprême du patriotisme) with a retirement award of $540,000 (USD) and a villa provided by the government of Burundi. Seven national days of mourning were announced in Burundi following his death. Other states in the East African Community also observed official periods of mourning. One day of mourning was also observed in Cuba. References Further reading External links Video and Summary of Nkurunziza Speech on First Visit to Washington at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 1964 births 2020 deaths Burundian Protestants Hutu people National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy politicians People from Bujumbura People of the Burundian Civil War Presidents of Burundi University of Burundi alumni Academic staff of the University of Burundi Burundian educators Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi