Zimbabwean Leader Robert Mugabe Dies at 95

Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president who rose to power as a champion of anti-colonial struggle but during 37 years of authoritarian rule presided over the impoverishment and degradation of one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising countries, has died at 95, WashingtonPost reported.

His death was announced on Twitter on Friday by Zimbabwe’s current leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Mnangagwa wrote.

The cause of death wasn’t immediately made public. Mugabe, who had displayed physical decline over recent years, had been receiving hospital treatment in Singapore since April, Mnangagwa said earlier this week.

Mugabe was forced to resign as Zimbabwe’s leader days after the army staged a coup in November 2017. At the time, he was world’s oldest head of state and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

Mnangagwa, the current leader, is a wily and resilient veteran of Zimbabwe’s independence war and a former head of the feared internal security service. Mnangagwa, nicknamed “The Crocodile” for his quick-to-strike survival skills, was favored by the military to succeed Mugabe.