Kofi Annan, former UN chief and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dies

Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate died after short illness on Saturday. He was 80.

"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 18th August after a short illness," tweeted Kofi Annan's official handle.

Annan, of Ghanaian nationality, died in hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of Saturday, two close associates of Annan told Reuters.

He was the first black African to take up the role UN chief, serving two terms from 1997 to 2006. He and the UN were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 2001 for his commitment towards human rights, fight against HIV in Africa and opposition to international terrorism.