Yhombi-Opango, Congo’s ex-president, ‘dies from COVID-19’ at 81

By Victor Akuma

Jacques Joaquim Yhombi-Opango, former president of the Republic of Congo, has passed away. He was aged 81.

His death is believed to have been caused majorly by the novel COVID-19 pandemic as he had earlier tested positive for the virus.

However, the bereaved family stated that before testing positive to Coronavirus, Yhombi-Opangoli had some other health complications.

Yhombi-Opango according to bbc.com led Congo-Brazzaville from 1977 until he was toppled in 1979 by the country’s current leader, Denis Sassou Nguesso.

After his dismissal from office, he spent several years in prison, when he was released, he joined the multi-party democracy which was introduced in 1991 and served as the country’s prime minister until civil war broke out in 1997.

In the course of the Civil War, he was exiled into France for ten (10) years before he was allowed entrance into the country.

Yhombi-Opango is believed not to be the only politician to have suffered the shock of Covid-19 as there have been a number of them worldwide that are victims of the same fate but it seems he’s the first known politician to have died of the virus.