Ghana announced a week of national mourning on Saturday following the death of Kofi Annan, as tributes came in from across global politics for the former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace price winner.
Annan, perhaps the world’s most famous Ghanaian and a source of great national pride, passed away after a brief illness at the age of 80.
A statement from the Kofi Annan foundation said he had passed away peacefully, with his wife Nane and their children Ama, Kojo and Nina by his side.
The career diplomat, who served Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006, is credited with raising the UN’s international profile during his two terms and won over many world leaders with his "calm charisma".
His early career was marked by the UN’s failure to prevent civilians during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, when he was head of the body’s peacekeeping division.
He was later key in the development of the responsibility to protect doctrine, which was adopted in 2005 as a pledge by all member states to take action against genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness… pic.twitter.com/42nGOxmcPZ
— Kofi Annan (@KofiAnnan) August 18, 2018
Tributes to the West African diplomat poured in from politicians of all stripes on Saturday, among them Tony Blair, former Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak and Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister.
"I’m shocked and distressed to hear the news about Kofi. He was a good friend whom I saw only weeks ago. Kofi Annan was a great diplomat, a true statesman and a wonderful colleague who was widely respected and will be greatly missed," said Mr Blair.
And, in a sign that Annan’s appeal extended far beyond western liberal democracies, Mr Zarif wrote on Twitter: "Extremely saddened by passing of Kofi Annan, a toweing global leader and an unwavering champion for peace, justice and rule of law. Rest in peace my dear old friend."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "I sincerely admired his wisdom and courage as well as his ability to make balanced decisions even under the most dire and critical circumstances."
Current UN chief Antonio Guterres voiced deep sadness at the news, describing his predecessor, who was the first secretary-general from sub-Saharan Africa, as "a guiding force for good".
Annan was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with the UN in 2001 "for their work for a better organised and more peaceful world".
Denis Balibouse/REUTERS
"He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination," Mr Guterres added.
"Like so many, I was proud to call Kofi Annan a good friend and mentor."
Theresa May also paid tribute to the "great leader and reformer" in a post on Twitter.
‘A titan determined to advance world peace’: Gordon Brown remembers Kofi Annan
He later set up a foundation devoted to conflict resolution and joined the Elders group of statesmen which was founded by Nelson Mandela to promote universal human rights.
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."