Egypt's foreign ministry expressed on Saturday its "deep sorrow" over the death of former United Nations secretary-general and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan, describing him as "an icon and a source of pride for every African and lover of peace."

"We deeply regret the departure of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and extend our deepest condolences to his family and to the African and international community," foreign ministry spokesperson Abu Zeid said in a statement on Twitter.

"[Annan] has left a mark for the causes of peace and development that will not be erased by the passage of time," Abu Zeid said.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has also expressed condolences to current UN Secretary-General António Guterres over the loss of Annan. 

The 80-year-old Ghanaian national died at a hospital in Bern, Switzerland early on Saturday, two of his close associates said.

In Geneva, the Kofi Annan Foundation announced that he had died after a short illness, saying he was surrounded in his last days by his wife Nane and children Ama, Kojo and Nina.

Annan served two terms as UN secretary-general from 1997 till 2006, retiring in Geneva and later living in a Swiss village.

Annan and the United Nations shared the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to reform the world body and give priority to human rights issues.