Tanzania’s former President Benjamin Mkapa, who served from 1995 to 2005, died in the wee hours of Friday morning, President John Magufuli said in a statement.
Mkapa, 81, led several regional peace mediation efforts in office and afterwards including Post Election Violence (PEV) mediation talks in Kenya.
He died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, Magufuli said, without delving into details.
“I will remember him for his great love for the nation, his piety, hard work and performance in building the economy,” Magfuli said.
Magufuli declared a seven-day mourning period, during which all flags will be flown at half-mast.
“Magufuli asks all Tanzanians to remain calm, patient and united during this difficult time,” a statement from his office said.
Mkapa also served as an ambassador, minister and key official of the ruling CCM party.
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya in a statement mourned the departed Tanzanian leader as an outstanding East African who worked tirelessly for the integration, peace and progress of the region.
Orange Democratic Party (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga mourned Mkapa as a friend of the Kenyan people, a true pan africanist and a global statesman.
The Chairperson of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat took to Twitter to pay his respects, calling Mkape a peace champion.
The former president was born in 1938 in south-eastern Mtwara. He earned a degree in English in Uganda, after which he went on to study at Columbia University in New York.
Mkape later worked as a journalist before being appointed the press secretary for the country’s first president Julius Nyerere.
He held several cabinet posts, such as foreign minister and information minister and also served as ambassador to the United States before he was elected president.
Mkapa had most recently attempted to mediate between Burundi’s government and opposition groups after a disputed 2015 election plunged the country into crisis, however the government repeatedly refused to take part and the talks stalled.
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