Tanzanian president attends burial ceremony for former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania | Xinhua | Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan attended the national burial ceremony of former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi on Zanzibar’s Unguja Island on Saturday.

“Mr. Mwinyi was a wonderful leader who highlighted the importance of translating leadership into service to people and maintaining diligent and ethical services,” Hassan told mourners.

The burial ceremony was also attended by officials, including Tanzania’s Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, the late president’s son, and representatives from Namibia, the Comoros and the East African Community (EAC) secretariat.

Mwinyi passed away on Thursday at the age of 98 after battling lung cancer. He served as the second president of Tanzania from 1985 to 1995, succeeding the country’s founding president, Julius Nyerere.

In honor of the late president, Hassan declared seven days of national mourning starting Friday, during which all national flags will be flown at half-mast. ■