The President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, has died of heart failure after ruling Burundi for 15 years. He was 55.

Pierre ruled the East African country since 2005 when he was elected into power, the government said on Tuesday in a post on 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.

In April 2015, the late Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term in office.

However, his announcement was massively opposed, leading to a protest.

On the first day of the protest, 26th of April 2015, protesters clashed with policemen leading to the death of six.

Also, the government shut down many radio stations and arrested a famous civil society leader, Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa.