I repsonce to moving comments from readers, we once more recall the memory of the United Nations an African statesman, Kofi Annan, whose calm but firm words find echoes in the style of Nelson Mandela, Angela Merkel and Barrack Obama.
The following are tributes from a selection of world leaders.
The Elders group of global leaders
The Elders, a group of global leaders working for world peace expressed shock and deep sadness over the death of their chair Kofi Annan at age 80 after a brief illness.
In a statement, The Elders describe the former U.N. scribe and Nobel Peace Prize winner “a voice of great authority and wisdom in public and private.”
“His quiet advice on how best to defuse impending crises was in constant demand from all corners of the globe, in particular from Africa,” says deputy chair Gro Harlem Brundtland.
India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “We express our profound sorrow at the passing away of Nobel Laureate and former UNSG Mr. Kofi Annan. The world has lost not only a great African diplomat and humanitarian but also a conscience keeper of international peace and security.
“Mr. Kofi Annan’s significant contribution to the MDGs will always be remembered. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief. May his soul rest in peace.”
South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu described his death as a “devastating loss”. Annan was an “outstanding human being who represented our continent and the world with enormous graciousness‚ integrity and distinction”, said Tutu.
