A dark cloud is hovering over Namibia as tributes pour in after the death of Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending conflict around the globe.

The former United Nations diplomat passed away at the age of 86 after battling Alzheimer’s disease, Finland’s presidential office said yesterday.

Here, in Namibia, Ahtisaari will be fondly remembered for the profound impact on Namibia’s journey to independence and peace, President Hage Geingob said in a hearty statement. 

“Major parts in the history of Namibia would be incomplete without the name of former president Ahtisaari. As a Fin, former president Ahtisaari understood fully our quest for freedom and justice,” he stated. 

Ahtisaari’s connection with Namibia dates to the 70s when he was appointed as a senator to the Council of the United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN). 

His roles expanded, and in 1978, United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim appointed him as the special representative of the secretary general for Namibia.

As a diplomat, negotiator, peacekeeper and blue helmet, “Ahtisaari served the Namibian people, who were seeking self-determination and justice, with flying colours. As an icon in the imagination of the Namibian people, Ahtisaari was inscribed as an honorary citizen of the Republic of Namibia, with streets and schools having been named after him in remembrance and celebration of his exceptional deeds in the birth of a free Namibia”.

Geingob continued: “We are not only mourning the loss of former president Ahtisaari, a friend and one of them, but we are also reaffirming the rich legacy of peace and the outstanding international public service of a Nobel Peace laureate with an indelible association with Namibia”.

On his part, Charles Josob, 

Namibia’s ambassador to Finland and the Baltic States, said in Ahtisaari, Namibia lost a friend indeed.

“We are happy that he lived for 86 years to be a guide in our independence and before independence. We mourn together with his wife and son. He will forever be remembered for being a peacemaker and good friend to Namibia,” ambassador Josob said. 

Rally for Democracy and Progress leader Mike Kavekotora also added his condolences. 

He remembers crossing paths with the late Ahtisaari. 

“Ahtisaari will never be forgotten. He navigated the difficult areas that South Africa was trying to create for Namibia,” Kavekotora said. 

Meanwhile, businessman Leake Hangala, a geology and mineralogy graduate from the University of Helsinki, Finland, added his sentiments. 

“We are grateful for his work, and he was one of the international leaders who placed Namibia on a high profile. Ahtisaari contributed to the development of this country, and strengthened the relationship of Namibia and Finland.” 

Analysts

Political analyst Natjirikasorua Tjirera described Ahtisaari as one of the few accomplished statesmen. 

“A man of principle, who seamlessly managed to be a diplomat of note; a politician of principle and a man of integrity. Being a Nobel Peace laureate epitomises his commitment to a just society. He will always hold a special place in the hearts of
Namibians, as he ably navigated the
diplomacy that led to our independence. I can only wish his brilliant soul eternal repose,” Tjirera stated. 

Another political analyst, Ndumba Kamwanyah, said Ahtisaari’s name is symbiotically tied to Namibia’s independence. 

“It was under his leadership that we were able to have the first-ever free and fair democratic elections that led to Namibia’s independence,” he said. 

Kamwanyah added: “There were a lot of challenges in the war that broke out on 1 April [1989] between the Swapo guerillas [People’s Liberation Army of Namibia]
and South African forces. That event itself almost derailed the peace process, but
because of his leadership, he saved the
mission to have the election take place – eventually for Swapo to win the
elections”.

Ahtisaari was a mediator, who brokered peace around the globe, winning a Nobel Peace Prize for a formidable career, spanning over 40 years.

He battled Alzheimer’s disease, which forced him to retire from public life in September 2021.

The former UN diplomat was credited with overseeing the 2005 talks between the Indonesian government and Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, which brought an end to a three-decade conflict in which some 15 000 people were killed.

 His true passion remained foreign affairs, and Ahtisaari later likened his six-year diversion into domestic politics to «an extramarital affair».

In 2000, Ahtisaari got involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, inspecting the IRA’s arms dumps with current South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

He was appointed as UN special envoy for talks on the status of Kosovo in 2005 and recommended independence for the breakaway province – only to be repeatedly accused of bias by the Serbs.

His inability to persuade the two sides to agree before Kosovo unilaterally declared independence rankled with him.

In 2008, aged 71, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts “on several continents and over more than three
decades to resolve international conflicts”.