Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak dies

International Desk Published: 25 February 2020, 05:12 PM
Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak dies
Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak looks towards his supporters during celebrations of the 43rd anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, at Maadi military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo, October 2016 - REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president for almost 30 years who stepped down after a popular revolution in 2011, has died. He was 91, reports Aljazeera. 

Mubarak served as Egypt's fourth president starting in 1981 until his ouster in what became known as the Arab Spring revolution.

He was born in a rural village in the Nile Delta in 1928. 

Mubarak, who died on Tuesday, left behind a complicated legacy. Mubarak's rule was partly characterised by corruption, police brutality, political repression, and entrenched economic problems. 

He joined the Egyptian air force in 1949, graduating as a pilot the following year. He rose through the ranks to become the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian air force in 1972.

Mubarak became a national hero the following year with reports that the Egyptian air force dealt a substantial blow to Israeli forces in Sinai during the Yom Kippur War. 

More to follow…