Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, Former Sierra Leone's President Dies At The Age of 82

The former president of Sierra Leone Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, well known for returning peace to the shattered west African nation after years of brutal civil war, died on Thursday the 13^th of March 2014 at the age of 82.

Kabbah, who led the country during an 11-year conflict in which thousands had their limbs hacked off and 120,000 people were killed, was at home when he was pronounced dead, said John Benjamin, a family friend and former chairman of Kabbah’s party.

The government of President Ernest Bai Koroma led tributes to Kabbah, describing him as “one of the pillars of democracy” in the country.

“He will go down in history as one of the leaders who stood tall in ensuring that he shook hands with people that were rejected by the majority of Sierra Leoneans during the war,” government spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay told reporters.

“If we are now enjoying peace and stability in Sierra Leone, there is no way president Kabbah could be dissociated from that.”

Koroma has declared seven days of mourning, with flags to fly at half mast across Sierra Leone, according to a statement from his office which described Kabbah’s death as “a great loss to his family and the nation”.