11 African leaders that pitifully died in office [Photos]

11 African leaders died in the office between 2008 and 2014. Two of the African leaders, Joao Bernardo Vieira of Guinea-Bissau and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, died in cruel circumstances.

Though there are widespread rumors pointing accusing fingers on the health condition of other African leaders including Nigerian President Buhari and Algerian President Bouteflika.

Here are 11 African leaders died in a pathetic way.

11. Levy Mwanawasa, 59 years old

He was President of Zambia until August 2008, when he died of a stroke. The announcement of his death was confirmed by Vice President Rupiah Banda on the state media. The day before his death, the government announced a sharp deterioration in her state of health, which prompted urgent surgery.

Aged 59, he had a stroke – the second in two years – on the sidelines of an African Union (AU) summit in Egypt and was transferred to France after being treated in Cairo in early July.

10. Lansana Conte, 74 years old

Lansana Conte was president of Guinea until December 2008, when he died, after spending 24 years in power. He spent the last years of his life silently enduring pain.

Plagued by recurrent diabetic comas, responsible for repeated memory disorders, unable to find sleep, he got up in the middle of the night to sit in an armchair under a tree in the middle of his residence in Wawa, his village, some 100 km from the capital. The disease had cut him off from everything and completely changed his habits. The true cause of his death remains unknown.

9. Joao Barnado Viera, 69 years old

President of Guinea-Bissau until march 2009, Joao Bernado Viera died in a bomb attack. Joao Bernardo Vieira, who has been in charge of the country for almost 23 years, was killed at dawn on Monday 2 March 2009 by soldiers.

The murder was allegedly in retaliation for a bomb attack that claimed the life of the chief of staff of the army of this small country.

8. Omar Bongo Ondimba, 72 years old

He was the second president of Gabon and ruled until June 2009, when he died of cancer. The advanced bowel cancer killed Omar Bongo in June 2009 in Barcelona, Spain after 42 years in office.

He died at the age of 72. He was one of the oldest African leaders in history and one of the most corrupt. Bongo has accumulated enormous private wealth while his country was living in poverty despite Gabon’s huge revenues from its vast oil deposits.

7. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, 58 years old

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was the president of Nigeria. Died in May 2010, his death would have been the result of a long battle with kidney and heart problems. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died at the age of 58 in 2011 as a result of pericarditis.

He had been in office for only three years. His election campaign was punctuated by the candidate’s absence on the election campaign and by reports of health-related complications. After being elected in April 2007, Yar’Adua’s health deteriorated rapidly.

6. Muammar Gaddafi, 69 years old

Having taken power through a coup d’état and after 42 years of rule, Muammar Gaddafi was one of the African leaders ousted and assassinated. The exact circumstances in which he was captured, disarmed, tortured and killed by soldiers remain unclear.

He was killed at the age of 69 by rebel forces in unclear circumstances in Libya. He took power from the Libyan monarchy following a bloodless military coup in 1969, but his leadership ended in the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” revolution.

5. Malam Bacai Sanha, 64 years old

He was president of Guinea-Bissau. He died in January 2012 in a French hospital while still in office.

The fourth African leaders to die in 2012 and suffered from diabetes and died in Paris after four years as President at the age of 64. Throughout his tenure, he suffered from several health problems and was continuously hospitalized.

4. Bingu Wa Mutharika, 78 years old

President of Malawi until April 2012, Bingu Wa Mutharika has died of cardiac arrest. His death was kept secret for fear of a power struggle. He was replaced by the first African woman president Joyce Banda He suffered a heart attack in April and died two days later at the age of 78.

His term lasted eight years and he was very successful with his food and agricultural policies. His reputation has been tainted by numerous public protests over the purchase of a $14 million presidential jet

3. John Atta Mills, 68 years old

He was President of Ghana until his death in July 2012. He died of throat cancer. John Atta Mills died at the age of 68. He won the 2008 presidential election and had been in office for only three years.

As an African leader, he has put in place a number of major economic and social reforms that have earned him acclaim locally and internationally.

2. Meles Zenawi, 57 years old

He was Prime Minister of Ethiopia until his death. The government stated that he suddenly became ill and died in Belgium while undergoing treatment. His condition had been a problem before his sudden death. Meles Zenawi died in August 2012 at the age of 57 from an undeclared infection.

He led Ethiopia for 21 years, as president from 1991 to 1995 and as prime minister from 1995 to 2012. He is known to have introduced multi-party democracy, but also for violently suppressing the legitimate demonstrations of the people.

1. Michael Sata, 77 years old

He is the last African leaders to die in office. He was president of Zambia until October 2014, he died of complications at the throat. Michael Sata, being the last African president to died in the office at the age of 77 in the UK on October 28, 2014.

After his election in 2011, rumors that his health had deteriorated spread to Zambia. His persistent absence of key state functions has raised concerns about his well-being, even though his spokesmen said he was in good health.