Henning Mankell

About Henning

Henning Mankell, the internationally acclaimed Swedish author was best known for his crime novels, but was also celebrated for his activism and humanitarian work. Mankell was a passionate advocate for refugees in Africa and the work of UNHCR. Mankell’s relationship with UNHCR started in the 1980s when he visited camps run by UNHCR in Mozambique. A decade later he travelled with the then High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata to camps in South Africa. In October 2013, Mankell undertook his last mission with UNHCR. He visited Congolese refugees in Uganda, seeing UNHCR’s operations from the emergency stage to the transfer of refugees to long-term settlements. On his return he wrote articles on the plight of refugees in Africa. In January 2014, Henning Mankell shared the news with the public that he was battling with cancer and on 6 October 2015 the sad announcement was made that he had lost his life to the disease.