Mandela, 95, dies; led South Africa out of apartheid

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Nelson Mandela in 2008

Former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela has died at age 95, leaving behind a legacy of ending the country’s policy of apartheid.

The first black man elected president of South Africa, Mandela served 27 years in prison after founding the armed wing of South Africa’s African National Congress party. Upon his release, Mandela persuaded the party to renounce violence.

Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize three years after he was released from prison in 1990. The following year, he was elected president, ending 46 years of rule by the National Party.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, a native of Ghana, called Mandela “probably the single most admired, most respected international figure in the entire world” on Mandela’s 85th birthday 10 years ago. 

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