Ghanaians pay last respects to late president

Ghanaians in black traditional garb and shirts bearing images of late president John Atta Mills filed through a hall where his body lay in state at the start of three days of funeral rites Wednesday.

The funeral service and burial are set for Friday and will be attended by a list of foreign dignitaries, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The death of Mills on July 24, five months ahead of polls in which he was to seek re-election, threw the West African nation into mourning and upended the presidential campaign in a country that recently joined the ranks of the world's significant oil producers.

An official cause of death has not been given, though there have been unconfirmed reports that he suffered from throat cancer.

Mills' coffin was placed in a banquet hall at the parliamentary complex in the capital Accra with flowers in Ghana's national colours -- red, yellow and green.

New President John Dramani Mahama, who had been Mills' vice president, was among a line of officials who visited to pay tribute.

Opposition presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, who was to face Mills in the December vote, and former president John Kufuor, both dressed in black traditional robes, also paid their final respects.

Former president Jerry Rawlings, who stirred controversy with comments about cancer hampering Mill's job performance, also joined the mourners.

The two men had been rivals recently despite Mills previously serving as Rawlings' vice president.

More than 1,000 others waited in line to view the casket, which will remain in place for viewing through Thursday.

"His death is a great loss that will be difficult to replace," said George Jubo, a Methodist reverend who was waiting to pay his last respects. "A man of peace is gone."

Tributes are expected on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings, including music and speeches.

Some 16 heads of state in addition to other foreign dignitaries, including Clinton, are expected at Friday's burial service, according to the chairman of the funeral committee Kofi Totobi-Quakyi. Clinton is currently on an African tour.

Mills, the first Ghanaian president to die in office, is to be buried on the grounds of the seat of government at Osu Castle in Accra.

The seaside capital is awash with tributes to Mills, who was widely praised for his integrity, including billboards saying "we shall always remember you."

Residents wore black and red bands and scarfs as symbols of their grief.

"The outpourings of emotions on the death of our president show that we Ghanaians are united in our collective sense of loss," Totobi-Quakyie said.

Accra police chief Patrick Timbillah said heavy security would be in place for the funeral, with major roads cordoned off.

Totobi-Quakyi said the family will hold a private service in Mills' place of birth on Sunday in the village of Ekumfi Otuam.

Ghana is seen as a bastion of democracy in the often turbulent West African region, and the transition so far has gone smoothly.

Mahama was sworn in to serve out the remainder of Mills' term hours after his death, as dictated by the West African nation's constitution.

The new president is expected to be endorsed by the ruling party to run in the December election, which analysts say is likely to be close.

Ghana, a country of some 25 million people, became a significant oil producer in December 2010. It is also a major producer of cocoa and gold.

The country has begun producing oil from its offshore Jubilee field, one of the largest discoveries in West Africa in recent years. The field's operator Tullow has estimated that the field's recoverable resources amount to up to one billion barrels.