Kofi Annan to be buried in Ghana on September 13

Former UN Secretary-General and Noble Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan will be laid to rest in his home country Ghana on September 13, the country's President Akufo-Addo has said.

Akufo-Addo made the announcement on Friday when the family of the late Annan paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House. The President said Annan will be given a full state burial that "befits his status as a global icon, diplomat and statesman", GhanaWeb reported.

Annan will be buried at the Burma Camp military cemetery in Accra. "Burma Camp has created a new cemetery and there is a portion that has been allocated for VIPs and civilian VIPs. I think it will be the most appropriate place to lay him to rest," said Akufo-Addo.

"This will be a state funeral so the responsibility for the arrangements are that of the Ghanaian state.

"Your bit is to mourn, but you will not have any of the financial burdens involved in organizing such a thing; that will be borne by the state of Ghana," the President told the late UN chief's family.

Annan's spokesperson Isaac Hooper said that the family was in agreement with the proposed date by the President.

His burial will be followed by UN memorial events in New York and Geneva, according to the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Annan was the first black African to take up the role of the world's top diplomat, serving two terms from 1997 to 2006. He died in a Swiss hospital last Saturday after a short illness.

--IANS

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