Field Marshal Hussein, the former head of the military council that ruled Egypt after longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak was ousted during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, died on Tuesday, Egypt’s presidency said. He was 85.ADVERTISING

After his stint as Egypt’s de facto leader, he was soon sacked by the country’s first freely elected president, the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, and spent his remaining years largely out of public view.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi paid tribute to him in a statement that confirmed his death, calling him one of “Egypt’s most loyal sons”.

“He dedicated his life to serving the nation for more than half a century… (He was) a statesman who took responsibility for running the country during a very critical time,” the statement added, referring to the tumult after the 2011 revolution.

The European Union’s delegation in Cairo offered its condolences in a tweet, saying he had served Egypt for “decades in crucial roles throughout his career”.

Source: France 24