This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza passed away, sparking widespread speculation about the cause of his death.
According to initial reports from the Burundi government, the president's sudden death was attributed to a heart attack. However, diplomatic sources in Bujumbura and Nairobi have since confirmed that Nkurunziza died of coronavirus.
"He had coronavirus but no one would say so because the president had played it down all along," a western diplomat based in Bujumbura revealed.
The First Lady of Burundi, Denise Nkurunziza, had been in Nairobi for medical treatment 11 days prior to the president's death, reportedly for Covid-19. She was successfully treated at the Aga Khan University Hospital and returned to Burundi on June 9, 2020, after receiving news of her husband's passing.
Contrary to the government's statement, it is alleged that Nkurunziza attended a volleyball game on June 6, 2020, but fell ill that night and was rushed to the hospital. Eyewitnesses claim that he showed symptoms of coronavirus, including difficulty breathing, when he was hospitalized.
