GENEVA – Kofi Annan, one the world’s celebrated diplomat and a charismatic symbol of United Nations (UN) who rose through its rank to become the first black African secretary-general, has died. He was 80.
His foundation announced his death in Switzerland on Saturday in a tweet, saying that he died after a short unspecified illness.
“Whenever there was suffering or need, he reached out and touched many people with his deep compassion and empathy,” the foundation said in a statement.
Born in Kumasi, the capital city of Ghana’s Ashanti region, Annan was the son of an executive of a European trading company, the United Africa Company, a subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever.
The Nobel Peace Laureate was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006 and became the first black African man to take on the top job as the world’s top diplomat.
Just before becoming secretary general, Annan served as UN peacekeeping chief and as special envoy to the former Yugoslavia, where he oversaw a transition in Bosnia from UN protective forces to NATO-led troops.
The UN peacekeeping operation faced two of its greatest failures during his tenure: the Rwanda genocide in 1994, and the massacre in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995.
Retired Canadian general, Romeo Dallaire, who led UN forces in Rwanda, is alleged to have sent a message to Annan’s office, warning of impending massacre, but Annan reportedly told UN military forces not to take any action.
In both cases, Annan offered apologies, but ignored calls to resign.
After ending his second term as UN chief, Annan went on to take high-profile mediation roles in Kenya and in Syria.
He later set up a foundation devoted to conflict resolution and joined the Elders group of statesmen which regularly speaks out on global issues.
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said he was grief-stricken over Annan’s death.
“Kofi was humanity’s best example, the epitome, of human decency and grace. In a world now filled with leaders who are anything but that, our loss, the world’s loss becomes even more painful,” he said.
“He was a friend to thousands and a leader of millions.”
