Economics

Kofi Annan, UN Leader Who Won Peace Prize, Dies at 80

  • He dealt with wars and genocide during five decades at UN
  • Annan’s handling of peacekeeping was criticized as ineffective

Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan poses during a photo session in Paris on December 11, 2017.

Photographer: JOEL SAGET/AFP
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Kofi Annan, the soft-spoken Ghanaian diplomat who served as the first United Nations secretary-general from sub-Saharan Africa, has died.

Annan died Saturday after an unspecified short illness, according to a statement from his family and the Kofi Annan Foundation. He was 80.