Amadou Gon Coulibaly who was Ivory Coast’s prime minister and the governing party’s candidate for the October 2020 presidential election, died just days after returning from a two-month medical treatment in France.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the 61-year-old, who had heart surgery in 2012, became unwell during a weekly cabinet meeting and was taken to a hospital where he passed away.

Coulibaly’s death created a huge uncertainty over the election in Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa grower. Ouattara had designated Coulibaly as the RHDP candidate in March after announcing that he himself would not seek a third term.

Hamed Bakayoko, a close ally of Ouattara, was appointed as prime minister in July 2020 following the sudden death of his predecessor Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who had been handpicked by Ouattara to succeed him. He also held the defence ministry portfolio.

Prime Minister Bakayoko was flown to France on Feb. 18 for medical checks. The government said in a statement on Friday that Ouattara had met Bakayoko during a visit in France recently, and given the state of the prime minister’s health, it was recommended that he should stay longer in hospital.

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara on Monday named his chief of staff Patrick Achi as interim prime minister in place of Hamed Bakayoko, who was absent due to health reasons.

Bakayoko died from covid at a hospital in Germany on Wednesday. The 56-year-old had seen his health deteriorate sharply in recent days.

He had terminal cancer and had been hospitalised at the American Hospital in Paris since the beginning of March and was transferred to a hospital in Freiburg, Germany on Saturday, to undergo an experimental treatment.

By some strange happenstance, interim Prime Minister Patrick Achi is also presently dying in a hospital in Abidjan. The close confidant of President Ouattara has not even received his first salary as Prime Minister.

CIR is keeping a watchful eye on the situation in the Ivory Coast and we will keep our readers posted as we get it!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai