Former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe has died aged 95.

Mugabe, died in Singapore, where he had been receiving treatment for a couple of months.

The founding president had ruled the southern African nation from 1980 to 2017, when he was ousted by his vice-president with the help of the military.

Mugabe was feted as an African liberation hero and champion of racial reconciliation when he first came to power in a nation divided by nearly a century of white colonial rule.

Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa took to Twitter to break the news, calling him an ‘icon of liberation’ who will be remembered for a long time.

Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace (2/2)

— President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) September 6, 2019

Mugabe was championed as a liberation hero when he came to power following almost a century of white colonial rule.

In November, Mnangagwa said Mugabe was no longer able to walk when he had been admitted to a hospital in Singapore, without saying what treatment Mugabe had been undergoing.

Officials often said he was being treated for a cataract, denying frequent private media reports that he had prostate cancer.

For a man who ruled Zimbabwe for nearly 40 years, opinion about him is divided.

On one hand his supporters, considered him as a hero who helped Zimbabwe from British colonialism, while on the other, detractors accused him of economic mismanagement, corruption and crimes against humanity.