Nelson Mandela is hospitalized in South Africa.
Former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela, 94, was admitted to the hospital for routine medical checkups and, according to an official statement from the Presidency, "there is no cause for alarm."
Thais Leitão*
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia - Former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela, 94, was admitted to hospital today (9) for routine medical checkups and, according to an official statement from the Presidency, "there is no cause for alarm". The document states that the checkups are related to Mandela's advanced age, but does not indicate how long the South African leader will remain hospitalized nor does it say to which hospital he was taken.
Last December, Mandela spent 18 days hospitalized at the Military Hospital in Pretoria, the South African administrative capital, due to a lung infection, later undergoing surgery to remove gallstones. In January, the government assured, also through an official statement, that... former president had recovered.
His last public appearance was during the 2010 World Cup, which took place in South Africa. Mandela was the first black president of South Africa, from 1994 to 1999, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Responsible for ending the apartheid regime in South Africa, he... apartheidMandela earned the respect of adversaries and critics alike due to his efforts in the pursuit of peace.
The United Nations (UN) established Nelson Mandela International Day in defense of the struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy. In 2001, Mandela was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but despite treatment, he campaigned in favor of combating AIDS, one of the main public health problems in South Africa. Upon turning 85, he announced his retirement.
* With information from BBC Brazil and the Lusa Agency