WINDHOEK, Namibia — Namibia's president and founding prime minister, Hage Geingob, died Sunday at age 82 while undergoing cancer treatment, and the southern African nation vowed to immediately fill out his term on his behalf. .
After returning from long exile in Botswana and the United States as an anti-apartheid activist, Geingob played a central role in what became one of Africa's most stable democracies. He was the country's third president since it gained independence in 1990 after more than a century of German rule and then apartheid South Africa.
He has served as president since 2015 and was scheduled to complete his second and final term this year. Vice President N'Golo Mbumba, who is the acting president, was sworn in as acting president in the capital, Windhoek, to complete the term allowed by the constitution.
Elections are scheduled for November. According to a government statement, Mbumba will lead Namibia until March 21 next year, when the winner takes office.
The presidential palace announced that Geingob died at a local hospital surrounded by his family. He returned to Namibia from the United States last month, where he underwent a two-day trial of a “new treatment for cancer cells,” his office said. In 2014, he said he had survived prostate cancer.
Although soft-spoken, he was firm in advancing Africa's agenda as a key stakeholder in world affairs – “It would be an injustice to exclude Africa from the Security Council,'' he once said in a United Nations speech. – Like many African leaders, Geingob not only maintained close ties with the United States and other Western countries, but also with China and other great powers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the leaders who expressed condolences on Sunday, saying he would “treasure forever” the memories of meeting Geingob. “It is difficult to overestimate his personal contribution to the development of friendly relations between Namibia and Russia,” the statement said.
Geingob hosted US first lady Jill Biden last year ahead of her husband's planned trip to Africa in 2023, which never happened.
Namibia has a population of just over 2.5 million people and is rich in minerals such as diamonds, gold, and uranium. According to the World Bank, despite being classified as an upper middle income country, socio-economic inequalities remain widespread.
The country, located on Africa's southwestern coast, enjoys political and economic stability in a region that has seen years of conflict and electoral turmoil. Namibian opposition parties criticized Geingob last year for supporting disputed elections in Zimbabwe.
But opposition leader McHenry Bennani paid tribute on Sunday.
“Certainly, the passing of President Geingob is a huge loss not only for Namibia but for the entire African continent. This master negotiator and politician was a man of such caliber and a beacon of solid leadership in turbulent times. ” Bennani said.
Mr Geingob, who was Namibia's first prime minister from 1990 to 2002 and held the post from 2008 to 2012, is likely to be outspoken on domestic and international issues. In January, he criticized former colonial power Germany for supporting Israel after South Africa sued Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Germany cannot ethically demonstrate its commitment to the United Nations Convention against Genocide, which includes atonement for the genocide in Namibia, while supporting acts amounting to the Holocaust and genocide in Gaza,” Geigob said. .
He was referring to events between 1904 and 1908, when Namibia's colonial security forces killed tens of thousands of people while suppressing an uprising. Germany acknowledged in 2021 that the act amounted to genocide and pledged more than $1 billion for infrastructure projects in the country.
Condolences poured in from African leaders on Sunday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described Geingob as “a great veteran who liberated Namibia from colonialism and apartheid.”
Kenyan President William Ruto said Geingob had “strongly promoted the continent's voice and visibility on the world stage”.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa wrote on X that Geingob “will be remembered for his leadership and resilience.”
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Msaka reported from Harare, Zimbabwe.
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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
