Former Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein​ Passes Away

The former Prime Minister of Somalia, Nur Hassan Hussein, passed away yesterday at the age of 83 according to reports by the Anadolu Agency.

After receiving treatment over the past few weeks at a hospital in London, England, the former politician passed away after having tested positive for the coronavirus. The Somali government has recently declared a nationwide 3-day mourning period following Hussein's death.

Hussein took office in November of 2007 and remained the East African country's Prime Minister until February of 2009. During his term, he was credited with leading peace talks between the Ethiopian government and rebel groups based in Eritrea.

In a statement issued by Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, he said that, "Recognising the efforts made by the deceased for his country and his people, I hereby declare three days of national mourning, lowering of the flag of the Federal Republic of Somalia to half mast, to give Prime Minister Nur Adde the respect he deserves."

Hussein is the latest African public figure to fall victim to the coronavirus. Former President of Congo, Jacques Joaquim Yhombi-Opango, the former president of French football club Marseille, Pape Diouf, Cameroonian jazz legend Manu Dibango as well as Burkina Faso's Vice-President of Parliament, Rose-Marie Compaore, all passed away from the coronavirus in the last month.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases on the African continent is close to 6500 with at least 239 reported deaths, according to BBC's coronavirus in Africa tracker.

There are now 48 African countries that have officially confirmed the presence of coronavirus. The governments of these countries have set in place a number of measures to curb the spread of the outbreak including travel restrictions, national lockdowns and in some cases, the mass testing of citizens. Read our rolling coverage of coronavirus in Africa here.