FORMER PRESIDENT John Agyekum Kufuor has expressed grief over the sudden death of former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

“Gaddafi’s death is a historic sad day in Africa,” the former Ghana President, who is currently outside the country, stated during a phone in a chat with Kapital Radio in Kumasi.

The Libyan former leader was killed by rebels on Thursday to climax eight months of fierce fighting in the oil rich country.

Mr. Kufuor, who ruled for eight years, said Gaddafi, who ruled for 42 years, was not his friend, adding, “I did not get closer to him whilst I was the president of the country.”

He however said he was extremely sad to learn of the Libyan leader’s death, insisting that morally, the death of every human being brought sad memories.

Mr. Kufuor stated that the sudden ousting of Gaddafi after four decades in power showed that oppressed people would surely rise one day to demand accountability from their leaders.

Mr Kufuor, a staunch believer in democracy, said people in every part of this world had the right to decide who should steer the affairs of their country at any given time.

Turning to domestic issues, notably the industrial action embarked upon by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Mr. Kufuor noted that “every citizen has the right under the constitution to strike.”

Using his tenure as the president of the country from 2001 to 2009 as a case study, he noted that the GMA embarked on a similar strike action to drum home their grievances then.

Mr. Kufuor disclosed that he then met the hierarchy of the GMA where both sides had lengthy and fruitful discussions which helped to bring the strike action to an end.