Zambia’s third president, Levy Mwanawasa, had health problems his entire term and when he died in office, the medical examiner determined the cause of death as a stroke. The president’s wife, Marueen Mwanawasa, said the government did not properly investigate his death. Mwanawasa was at an African Union Summit in Egypt just before his death on Aug. 19, 2008. The government reported that he was flown to a hospital in France and died there. Rumors persist that Mwanawasa died in Egypt.
Source: Zambiawatchdog.com
Gabonese officials denied that President Omar Bongo was dead, causing rumors and speculation as to the true cause of his death. The president of Gabon died June 8, 2009 at age 74 after being treated for cancer for over a month. The media was banned from discussing the president’s health for months before he died. Medical examiners ultimately determined cardiac arrest as the cause of death.
Source: Content.time.com
Guinea-Bissau’s President Malam Bacai Sanha was hospitalized in France for a month before dying on Jan. 9, 2012 of an undisclosed illness. The president was frequently hospitalized abroad before his death, including a three-week stay at a hospital in Dakar Senegal. A diplomat during Sanha’s term says the president regularly took private flights to Dakar to be treated for an illness.
Source: Bbc.com
Another president of Guinea-Bissau died under curious circumstances. One theory is that President Joao Bernardo Vieira died March 2, 2009, in a fight between rival military groups. Vieira was allegedly involved in the country’s lucrative cocaine trade, and he was a long-time rival of Gen. Batista Tagme Na Waie, the chief of the armed forces. There are conflicting accounts of how Vieira died. Many believe the general’s soldiers were angry about the president’s death, believing Vieira to be responsible, and opened fire on his house.
Source: Theguardian.com
Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika died April 5, 2012, at the age of 78. It took the government nearly 48 hours to report the president’s death to the public. An investigation of his death produced a report that 11 politicians had worked to conceal Mutharika’s death because they did not want Vice President Joyce Banda to take power. Government officials allegedly ordered an air ambulance for the president to give the illusion that he was still alive.
Source: Africareview.com
Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi died Aug. 20, 2012, at age 57, with no official autopsy report or death certificate released. Zenawi’s sudden deteriorating health was linked to an encounter with journalist Abebe Gellaw, who allegedly confronted and humiliated him at a conference about his policies. Some say the stress of this encounter may have agitated the president’s pre-existing health conditions and led to his demise. Other reports suggest Zenawi may have been poisoned by a rebel leader.
Source: Ethiopianreview.com
The official report is that Libyan Prime Minister Muammar Gaddafi died on Oct. 20, 2011, after being accidentally shot in crossfire when the rebels who had captured him were carrying him to a truck. Supposedly the rebels intended to keep Gaddafi alive. Then there are the shocking images of rebels brutally attacking Gaddafi. Many believe Gaddafi was still alive when this attack began and he died of the blows rather than from crossfire.
Source: World.time.com
Ghanaian President Mills died at age 68 on July 24, 2012. The president had been sick for some time, something his staff often denied. The public did not receive concrete facts on his death for a month. The day he died, he was allegedly taken to a hospital far from his home when there was one much closer. There were no dispatch operators on his ambulance. Some people think the president’s cabinet did not want to admit he was sick because they feared it would make him look weak. This fear may have prevented him form getting the best care.
Source: Modernghana.com
