National Security Adviser Susan Rice took to Twitter to mourn the death of famous Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, even though he died two years ago.
Politico reports:
National Security Advisor Susan Rice shared a heartfelt message on the passing of Nigerian literary icon Chinua Achebe on Monday morning.
The only problem: Achebe died two years ago.
"[T]oday is a somber day in Nigeria, as Chinua Achebe was laid to rest in his native village," Rice wrote. In a following tweet she added "A giant of African lit., he brought the Continent-and Nigeria, in particular-2 the world. His works left lasting impression on me & my gen."
In fact, Achebe died in March of 2013 at age 82 in Boston after a brief illness. In May of that year, an elaborate funeral with trumpeters, dancing troupes and scores of dignitaries honored the author in his native Nigeria. He was then buried in his hometown of Ogidi.
After realizing her error, Rice deleted her tweets about an hour later. The New York Times obituary for Achebe—datelined March 22, 2013—began spreading on social media on Monday.
Business Insider pointed out that the gaffe was more embarrassing given that Rice held State Department's top Africa position from 1997 to 2001.