Kofi Anan dies in Switzerland

Former Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan has died.

His family and foundation broke the news Saturday on his Twitter handle where it was stated he took ill leading to his death.

He died in hospital in Bern, Switzerland with his wife, Nane, and three children Ama, Kojo and Nina, by his side.

The tweet described him as a “global statesman and deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world”.

The Ghanaian was the seventh secretary general of the UN between 1997 and 2006 and won the Nobel peace prize for his humanitarian work.
The statement added that Annan, who succeeded Boutros Boutros-Ghali as UN leader, was a “son of Ghana and felt a special responsibility towards Africa”.

Born in Kumasi, Ghana, on 8 April 1938, he was the first secretary general to emerge from the ranks of United Nations staff.