Congo’s Ex-President Yombi Opango Dies Of Coronavirus

Former president of Republic of Congo, Jacques Joaquim Yhombi Opango died in France on Monday of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), his family told AFP.

Yhombi Opango, who led Congo-Brazzaville from 1977 until he was toppled in 1979, died at a Paris hospital at the age of 81, his son Jean-Jacques said.

Yhombi Opango had been ill before he contracted the virus, his son added.

Born in 1939 in Congo’s northern Cuvette region, Yhombi Opango was an army officer who rose to power after the assassination of president Marien Ngouabi.