World figures have been paying tribute to former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who has died at the age of 80.
Current UN chief Antonio Guterres hailed him as “a guiding force for good” and Russian President Vladimir Putin described a “remarkable person”.
Ex-US President Barack Obama said Annan had always pursued “a better world”.
The Ghanaian national served as UN chief from 1997 to 2006 and is the only black African ever to hold the post.
The career diplomat died in hospital in the Swiss city of Bern. He had been living near Geneva for several years.
He “passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness”, the Kofi Annan Foundation said.
He was a “deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world”, the statement added.
