Ivory Coast PM, 56, Passes Away

Hamed Bakayoko, the prime minister and defense minister of the Ivory Coast, has passed away just two days after his 56th birthday.

Bakayoko’s death was confirmed in a statement by the government, which was released on Wednesday, 10 March – the same day on which he died.

The statement explained that the prime minister – who was suffering from cancer – had been flown to France in February for medical tests, and was later transferred to a hospital in Freiberg, Germany, due to his deteriorating health.

He then passed away at the same hospital, eight months after the untimely death of his predecessor, Amadou Gon Coulibaly.

President Alassane Ouattara praised Bakayoko in a tweet on Wednesday: “He was a great statesman, a model for our youth, a personality of great generosity and exemplary loyalty.”

Patrick Achi has been appointed as interim prime minister, while Tene Birahima Ouattara – the president’s younger brother – has been selected as interim defence minister.

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