Namibia's President, Hage Geingob, died on Sunday at the age of 82, in a hospital in the capital, Windhoek, where he was receiving treatment for cancer, the presidency of the southern African country announced in a statement.
Geingob was prime minister for twelve years, a record for longevity in the country, before becoming its third president in 2014 and the first who was not from the majority Ovambo ethnic group.
From a young age, he devoted himself to activism against the apartheid regime in South Africa, which ruled Namibia at the time, before he was forced into exile, first to Botswana and then to the United States.
The statement, signed by Acting President Nangolo Mbumba, said: “It is with great sadness and regret that I inform you that our beloved Haji Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, has passed away today.”
The text called for calm and tranquility “while the government takes care of all necessary state provisions, preparations and other protocols.”
In January, the Presidential Office announced that a biopsy during a routine medical examination revealed the presence of “cancer cells” in the head of state’s body.
Namibia is a semi-desert country in southern Africa, and was one of the last countries on the continent to gain independence in 1990.
Presidential and legislative elections are scheduled to be held at the end of the year.
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