Ghana’s President John Atta Mills has died unexpectedly, a presidential statement said, and an aide said his death occurred on Tuesday after he took ill on Monday night.<\/p>\n
The death of the president of the world’s No. 2 cocoa grower comes months before Mills was due to stand for re-election at the helm of the West African country that posted double-digit growth in 2011 and has been praised for its strong democracy in a turbulent region.<\/p>\n
“It is with a heavy heart…that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana,” a statement sent to Reuters by the president’s office said.<\/p>\n
It said that Mills, 68, died a few hours after being taken ill but no further details were given.<\/p>\n
A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said the president had complained of pains on Monday evening and died early on Tuesday afternoon when his condition worsened.<\/p>\n
Mills, who oversaw the start of oil production in Ghana, returned from medical checks in the United States several weeks ago.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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