Zambian ex-president Kenneth Kaunda dies at 97: What you need to know

Picture Courtesy: Al Jazeera

1. Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president and a leader who fought colonialism has died aged 97.

2. He was suffering from pneumonia and was admitted to a military hospital.

3. In the 1950s he was a key figure of an independence movement, of northern Rhodesia, from Britain.

4. He became President in 1964 after independence. He led the country through decades of one-party rule and stepped down in 1991 after losing a multi-party election.

5. He was also a great supporter of the liberation movement in Zimbabwe.

6. In later life, he turned his attention to fight against HIV after his son died because of AIDS.

7. He was popularly known as KK. Zambian President said the country was mourning a "true African Icon".