Barack Obama: Mandela set an example ‘all humanity should aspire to’

US president Barack Obama has paid tribute to Nelson Mandela following the global icon’s death.

Mandela passed away, aged 95, in his Johannesburg home following a long battle with illness that saw him hospitalised on a number of occasions.

Speaking at the White House, President Obama spoke about the legacy Mandela left the world, as well as the inspiration he drew from the former South African president.

“He achieved more than could be expected of any man,” Obama said. “Today he has gone home […] He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages.”

“I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set,” Obama said. “So as long as I live, I will do what I can to learn from him.”