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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Kofi Annan, former UN chief, dies at 80 [bbc.com]

Kofi Annan, the only black African to become UN secretary-general, has died. The 80-year-old "passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness", the foundation named after him said.

His home country, Ghana, has declared a week of national mourning. Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a solution to the conflict.

In a statement announcing his death, the Kofi Annan Foundation described him as a "global statesman and deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world". "Wherever there was suffering or need, he reached out and touched many people with his deep compassion and empathy."

[...] Annan was not immune from criticism. His critics blamed him for the UN's failure to halt the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s when he was head of the organisation's peacekeeping operations. Later, after the US-led invasion of Iraq, he and his son were accused of being involved in the "oil for food corruption scandal" that led some to call for his resignation, though he was later exonerated [bbc.co.uk].

Kofi Annan [wikipedia.org].

See also: Kofi Annan death: World leaders honour former UN chief [bbc.com]
Kofi Annan: The developing world is an easy target for populists [washingtonpost.com]
What it's like to be a young African mentored by Barack Obama [qz.com] (the inaugural meeting of the Obama Foundation's Leaders: Africa fellowship was attended by Kofi Annan in July)

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