Ethiopian prime minister Meles
Zenawi is dead
Ethiopian
State TV announced early Tuesday that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at
the age of 57.
The state media disclosed that Zenawi who had been ill for
months, passed away as a result of an infection while being treated at a
hospital abroad. The Ethiopian government declined to reveal his true
condition.
Speculation
about Zenawi's health and whereabouts had been raging ever since his notable
absence from the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa several months ago.
Ethiopian government officials repeatedly denied Zenawi was facing a critical
illness, citing on several occasions that the longtime strongman was just
dealing with "exhaustion from the pressures of office" and most
recently that he was "in good health and recuperating."
Meles Zenawi
has been in power in Ethiopia since 1991. His regime known as one of the most
repressive regimes in Africa. The Zenawi government has been condemned widely
by international human rights groups for its harsh treatment of opposition
members and media censorship.
In
accordance with the Ethiopian constitution, Zenawi will be succeeded by his
deputy, Hailmariam Desalegne, who will be sworn in later today after an
emergency parliament meeting in Addis Ababa.
SaharaReporters
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