Ivory Coast's Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko, who was seen as a possible successor to President Alassane Ouattara, has died in a hospital in southwest Germany, two days after his 56th birthday, the government said on Wednesday. "He was a great statesman, a model for our youth, a personality of great generosity and exemplary loyalty," Ouattara said on Twitter. The prime minister's prolonged absence led Ouattara to appoint his close confidant and chief of staff Patrick Achi as interim prime minister. After the war, Ouattara appointed Bakayoko as interior minister in 2011. Known for his rowdy political campaigns, Bakayoko was elected mayor of the poor Abidjan district of Abobo in 2018.

Source: Standard Digital March 11, 2021 11:55 UTC