Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan dies aged 80

Former United Nations Chief and Nobel peace prize laureate Kofi Annan has died aged 80, his foundation has announced.

Mr Annan, of Ghanaian nationality, died in hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of this morning.

“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 18 August after a short illness,” the foundation said in a statement.

After stepping down from the United Nations, he worked as chair of The Elders, the group founded by Nelson Mandela.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said Mr Annan was a “guiding force for good”.