Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, the former prime minister of the West African country Senegal, has died at the age of 64. 

Barron's reports, "Former Senegalese prime minister and a candidate in last month's presidential election, Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, died Friday at the age of 64, a member of his team told AFP."

What we know:

The exact circumstances of Dionne's passing have not been reported. What caused his death, at the time of this writing, remains unknown.

But, Le Soir, reports that Dionne died on Friday, April 5, 2024, at a Parisian hospital. "Today, the ex-Prime Minister of Senegal Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne died in a Parisian hospital at the age of 64," the outlet reports.

It is also known that Dionne recently had to take a break from his election campaign in order to receive medical treatment.

"Dionne . . . died in Paris where he had been sent for medical treatment in the middle of his election campaign, Mohamed Moustapha Diagne told AFP," Barron's reports.

What remains unknown, however, is what illness Dionne was receiving medical treatment for.

Who was Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne?

Dionne served as the prime minister of Senegal during a five-year period from 2014 to 2019. He was appointed to the prime minister position by Senegal President Macky Sall.

Dionne, during his time as prime minister, did make a trip to Washington, D.C. There, he met with Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Dionne's background was in computer engineering and he specialized in applied economics. Before his time as prime minister, Dionne had stints working at the Central Bank of West African States and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Dionne had also, at one point, been the advisor to the president.

According to Barron's, Dionne is also known for a book that he wrote called Le Lion, le papillon et l'abeille, which, in English, translates to The Lion, the Butterfly, and the Bee. The book, according to the outlet, predicted that Africa would be a "land of major geostrategic potential and influence in the 21st century".

He was running for president

At the time of his passing, Dionne was running to become the Senegalese president. "Dionne was one of 19 candidates in the March 24 presidential poll, which anti-establishment figure Bassirou Diomaye Faye won in the first round," Barron's reports.

As mentioned earlier, though, he recently had to take a break from campaigning in order to receive medical treatment.

President Sall has released a statement, saying, "Senegal has lost a valuable executive and a long-time companion."