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Tanzania Resumes National Mourning Ahead of Late President's Burial

VOA News

   Tanzania resumes its national mourning Tuesday of the latePresident
   JohnMagufuli, with the people ofChato, his hometown,getting a chance to
   pay their last respects ahead of his burial on Thursday.

   On Monday, Tanzania's newly appointedpresident,SamiaSuluhuHassan,led
   thousandsof people who paid their respect toMagufuliat the stadium in
   the capital city of Dodoma.

   She was joinedby Congo'sPresident FelixTshisekedi, Kenya's Uhuru
   Kenyatta,Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa and South African President
   CyrilRamaphosa,who gavecondolences toMagufuli'sfamily.

   Magufuli,an ardent coronavirusskeptic, diedfrom heartdisease
   lastWednesday at age 61, according to Hassan who made the announcement
   onstate televisionon March 17.

   Hassan said on theThursday, a publicholiday,Magufuliwill be
   aburiedafter a funeral mass at the Chato Catholic Churchin the Kagera
   region of the country.

   Meantime,as Hassanleads the country through its
   mourning,containingCOVID-19 looms as the first big challenge of her
   presidency.

   Magufuliplayed down the impact of the virus, placing no emphasis on
   measures to protect the public such as obtaining vaccines and wearing
   mask.

   Tanzania confirmed more than 509 infections and 21 deaths, according to
   Johns Hopkins University Resource Center.

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