This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has passed away at the age of 95, his family confirmed to the BBC on September 6, 2019.
Mr. Mugabe had been in hospital in Singapore since April, battling ill health. He was ousted in a military coup in November 2017, ending three decades in power.
He won Zimbabwe's first election after independence in 1980, becoming prime minister. He later abolished the office in 1987, becoming president instead.
Mugabe's early years were praised for broadening access to health and education for the black majority. However, his controversial land reform programme sparked an economic collapse, and his latter years were marked by rights abuses and corruption.
His successor, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, expressed his 'utmost sadness', calling Mr. Mugabe 'Zimbabwe's founding father' and 'an icon of liberation'. Mr. Mnangagwa had been Mr. Mugabe's deputy before replacing him.
Mr. Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924 in what was then Rhodesia. He was imprisoned for more than a decade without trial after criticising the government of Rhodesia in 1964.
He was a founding member of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu) and was chosen as its president in 1973, while still in prison. Once released, he adopted a militant stance, heading to Mozambique and directing guerrilla raids into Rhodesia.
