Nelson Mandela leaves hospital after minor surgery

A South African presidential spokesman says Nelson Mandela has been released from the hospital. Spokesman Mac Maharaj says the 93-year-old Nobel peace laureate was released Sunday after undergoing a laparoscopy. During the procedure, surgeons make an incision in the belly to insert a thin, lighted tube to look at abdominal organs. Earlier in the day, South African President Jacob Zuma said "doctors have assured us that there is nothing to worry about" and that Mandela is in good health. Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term. He last appeared in public in July 2010.

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