With the sad news of Mr Nelson Mandela’s passing here is a look at what the world leaders have been saying about his death on Twitter.

South African President Mr Jacob Zuma said: “Mr Mandela passed away peacefully at his Johannesburg home surrounded by family and friends after a prolonged lung infection.”

Mr Zuma added that: "The nation has lost it greatest son. He is now resting. He is now at peace."

Mr Zuma said that Mr Mandela's loved ones had gathered by his side on Wednesday after his eldest daughter said he was on his "death bed".

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "Her Majesty remembers with great warmth her meetings with Mr Mandela.

"He worked tirelessly for the good of his country, and his legacy is the peaceful South Africa we see today".

US President Barrack Obama paid tribute not an hour after Mr Mandela passed away by saying the former South African President had inspired his own path to the White House. President Obama said on Twitter that Mr Mandela was:” A man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice.

“Let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived”

British Prime Minister, David Cameron said: A great light has gone out in the world. "A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time. I have asked for the flag at Downing Street to be flown at half-mast.”

“I've spoken to the Speaker and there will be statements and tributes to Nelson Mandela in the House on Monday.”

European Council president Herman Van Rompuy called Mandela "one of the greatest political figures of our times" in a Twitter post,

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “Mandela changed course of history for his people, country, continent and the world.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement last night. "He was the father of his nation, a man of vision, a fighter for freedom who avoided violence. He was a humble man who provided a personal example for his nation during the long years he spent in prison."

"Mandela worked to heal the rifts in South African society and succeeded, through the power of his character, in preventing racial hatred. He will be remembered as the father of the new South Africa and a moral leader of the highest order." Netanyahu added

Manmohan Singh India’s Prime Minister paid tribute to Nelson Madela on a Twitter, Youtube : “A giant among men has passed away. This is as much India's loss as South Africa's. He was a true Gandhian,"

In a statement, China's President Xi Jinping said "Chinese people would always remember his extraordinary contribution to the development of bilateral relations and the cause of human progress".

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said:" We mourn the passing of Nelson Mandela. He will be remembered as more than a political leader.”

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrote on his Twitter page: "All of Canada mourns with the family of Nelson Mandela and the citizens of South Africa. The world has lost one of its great moral leaders."

The Tibetan spiritual leader The Dalai Lama sent a letter to the family of the late Nelson Mandela saying that he would miss a "dear friend" who he hailed as "a man of courage, principle and unquestionable integrity".

The Dalai Lama wrote in a statement on his website, that "the best tribute we can pay to him is to do whatever we can to contribute to honouring the oneness of humanity and working for peace and reconciliation as he did.”

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff stated: "The example of this great leader will guide all those who fight for social justice and peace in the world."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told reporters: “Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration, Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world and within each one of us if we believe, a dream and work together for justice and humanity.”

Desmond Tutu said about Mandela: "The sun will rise tomorrow, and the next day and the next. ... It may not appear as bright as yesterday, but life will carry on," the retired bishop said in a statement. "To suggest that South Africa might go up in flames -- as some have predicted -- is to discredit South Africans and Madiba's legacy.”
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