UN chief deeply saddened at passing of former Zambian president

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former President of the Republic of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda,” a UN spokesman said Thursday.

“At this time of great loss, the secretary-general conveys his deepest condolences to the family of the former president, and to the Government and the people of the Republic of Zambia,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief.

“As a founding father of Zambia, former president Kaunda was instrumental in charting the country’s post-independence trajectory towards a peaceful multi-party democracy and was a committed pan-Africanist,” he said.

Kaunda, born in 1924, led Zambia’s independence struggle and served as the first president of the country from 1964 to 1991.