And Kofi Annan has died at the age 80 at a hospital in Bern, Switzerland, on Saturday. Born in Ghana, Annan served as the United Nations secretary-general from 1997 to 2006, becoming the first and only black African to hold the position. In 2001, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He vehemently opposed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, calling the action “illegal.” Annan has been criticized for his role as head of the United Nations peacekeeping operations from 1993 to 1997 during the Rwandan genocide and the Srebrenica massacre. This is the director-general of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Michael Møller.
Michael Møller: “We have lost the moral voice of the world today. It is bad for the world in so many other ways. He was a peacemaker. He was always in the forefront of trying to help people. It’s devastating for me personally. He was a mentor, he was a role model, and he was a friend and part of my life, both professional and personal. And when I say that, I am also very aware of the fact that this true for so many others of my colleagues and people around the world.”
Kofi Annan died at the age of 80 in a hospital in Switzerland.