Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi dies at 57 after illness

[OSOKONI]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at the age of 57, state media say, after weeks of illness.
A government spokesman said Mr Meles had died in a hospital abroad - but did not say exactly where or give details of his ailment.

Speculation about his health mounted when he missed an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last month.
Mr Meles took power as the leader of rebels that ousted communist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
He had dominated Ethiopian public life since the 1990s, as president and then prime minister
.
He was austere and hardworking, with a discipline forged from years spent in the guerrilla movement - and almost never smiled, says Elizabeth Blunt, the BBC's former correspondent in Addis Ababa.

Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga told the BBC he feared for the stability of Ethiopia following Mr Meles' death. He said the situation in the country was fragile and ethnic violence continued to be a threat

 

[Filipo]

ngoja niende bbc maana habari za humu JF zisiamini, nitarudi baadae na habari toka bbc!!

Ni kweli Mkuu. Jamaa amezushiwa mara nyingi lakini hii ya leo nimeisikia kwenye habari kwa ufupi saa nne Radio one.

 

[Kimbunga]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at the age of 57, state media say, after weeks of illness.
A government spokesman said Mr Meles had died in a hospital abroad - but did not say exactly where or give details of his ailment.

Speculation about his health mounted when he missed an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last month.
Mr Meles took power as the leader of rebels that ousted communist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
He had dominated Ethiopian public life since the 1990s, as president and then prime minister
.
He was austere and hardworking, with a discipline forged from years spent in the guerrilla movement - and almost never smiled, says Elizabeth Blunt, the BBC's former correspondent in Addis Ababa.

Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga told the BBC he feared for the stability of Ethiopia following Mr Meles' death. He said the situation in the country was fragile and ethnic violence continued to be a threat

Mkuu naona unaviamini vyombo vya magharibi kweli kweli. Lakini ndivyo vyenye habari za kweli japo wameshindwa kujua Meles alikuwa anatibiwa nchi gani. Hiyo inaonyesha nini katika siri za nchi? Tanzania tunaweza kuficha kiasi hicho?

 

[Kimbunga]

Ni kweli Mkuu. Jamaa amezushiwa mara nyingi lakini hii ya leo nimeisikia kwenye habari kwa ufupi saa nne Radio one.

Mkuu huenda alishakufa zamaaaani ilibidi watu wajipange ili Afwereki na watu wa Oromo pamoja na Alshabab wasije wakatumia ombwe kuihujumu nchi. Nadhani wamejipanga na leo hii utasikia mkuu mpya wa nchi ametajwa bila kuchelewa.

 

[kanga]

Safari nyingine ya mkulu kwenda kuzika na kujiongezea ukwasi wa perdiem ,mafisadi siyo wezi wa epa tu hata safari za nje za kujiongozea kipato ni ufisadi tu.

 

[thatha]

R.I.P Zenawi, you have played your part, Ethiopians will remember you forever!

Serikali ya Ethiopia imetangaza kifo cha Waziri Mkuu wa nchi hiyo Bw. Meles Zenawi baada ya kupita wiki kadhaa za uvumi kuhusiana na hali ya afya yake.

 

[Timtim]

RIP Zenawi

 

[The Khoisan]

Nafikiri mabegi yasha anza kufungashwa Magogoni kwa ajili ya safari ya Adiss Ababa kwenye mazishi!!!

 

[Mohamedi Mtoi]

Bahati gani mkuu?

Hahaha Angela anabalaa sana. Bahati ya kuondokewa na mpenda wetu kama itatokea sasa hivi Mungu akimpenda zaidi maana kwa sasa mapenzi yako shallow.

 

[Ndahani]

Keshatangulia mbele ya haki...ndo hivyo tena.

 

[Katavi]

Nadhani atakuwa alikufa muda mrefu, walikuwa wanaandaa mazingira kwanza...

 

[hargeisa]

aliwakandamiza wa ogadeni sana pia wannanchi wake wengi ni maskin zaidi ktk africa

 

[Mzalendo_Mkweli]

CNN: State TV: Ethiopia's prime minister dies - CNN.com

BBC : BBC News - Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi dies after illness

 

[wehoodie]

Let him go, He was massacring the Ogaden people for decades in the oil rich area bordering with Somalia

 

[wehoodie]

He wa massacring the Ogaden people in oil rich area bordering Somalia. It never came to his mind that he will go somedays! RIP

 

[mtotowamjini]

kuna viongozi wa africa wanaumwa wanajificha kusema maana wengine wanaogopa kupinduliwa...mfano Mugabe naye ni kagonjwa kanapelekwaga kutibiwa kwa siri nchi za nje bila watu wake kujua...siku mnashangaa mnaambiwa kibabu kimekufa

 

[Ndahani]

kama EL hapa nyumbani.....ambaye anadai hana kiharusi wakati kinamtafuna, hawa walidai huyu njembe yuko fiti............viongozi wetu hawaachi kunichekesha....................wakipanda ngazi hulewa madaraka na kufikiria wao ni Muumba,................

Wanasahau hakuna mwenye contract ya kuwa bora zaidi ya mwingine mbele ya mwenyezi Mungu.

 

[Kakke]

Meles Zenawi afariki dunia


IDHAA YA KISWAHILI/Matukio ya Afrika
Sasa ni sahihi kwamba Zenawi hayupo tena duniani. Televisheni ya taifa ya Ethiopia imetangaza mapema leo kwamba kiongozi huyo aliyekuwa na nguvu sana nchini humo, amefariki dunia mjini Brussels, Ubelgiji, alikokuwa akitibiwa. Televisheni hiyo imesema Zenawi amefariki dunia wakati akiwa anapata afuweni kutokana na maambukizi ya ghafla.

Tangazo la televisheni hilo limesema na hapa ninanukuu: "Waziri Mkuu Zenawi amefariki ghafla usiku wa jana. Meles alikuwa akipata afuweni katika hospitali moja ughaibuni kwa miezi miwili, lakini alifariki kutokana na maambukizi ya ghafla saa 5 na dakika 40." Mwisho wa kunukuu.

Uvumi kwamba kiongozi huyo wa zamani wa vita vya msituni alikuwa akiumwa sana, ulianza kusambaa tangu aliposhindwa kuhudhuria mkutano wa kilele wa Umoja wa Afrika mjini Addis Ababa mwezi uliopita.

Tangu hapo wasiwasi ulikuwa umezuka juu ya nani hasa anaiongoza nchi hiyo, baada ya Zenawi kuchukuwa likizo ya kutokuwapo kazini.
Serikali ilikanusha ugonjwa wa Zenawi



Siku ya Alhamis, msemaji wa serikali, Bereket Semon, alirejelea kauli yake ya mara kwa mara akikanusha kuwa Zenawi alikuwa mgonjwa sana. Serikali ilikuwa imesema kuwa Zenawi alilazimika kuchukua likizo kwa ushauri wa daktari.

Kwa ujumla, ni shida kujuwa hasa ugonjwa uliomaliza maisha ya kiongozi huyo ambaye amekuwa madarakani tangu kumpindua Megistu Haile Mariam hapo mwaka 1991, lakini inaaminika kwamba alikuwa akisumbuliwa na uvimbe kwenye ubongo.

Zenawi atakumbukwa kwa sera yake ya kiutawala ambayo ilijuilikana kama shirikisho la makabila, akitoa mamlaka fulani mwa mamlaka za mikoa zenye misingi ya kikabila, lakini akisalia na nguvu kubwa kwenye serikali chini ya chama tawala.

Nafasi ya uraisi inachukuliwa kama heshima tu, na Zenawi ndiye hasa aliyekuwa na nguvu za kisiasa.
Naibu Waziri Mkuu Hailemariam achukua madaraka

Marehemu Meles Zenawi

Kwa mujibu wa katiba ya Ethiopia, naibu waziri mkuu ndiye anakuwa na wajibu wa kukaimu nafasi ya uwaziri mkuu, ikiwa waziri mkuu hayupo. Hata hivyo, sheria haisemi wazi na mahsusi ikiwa naibu huya wa waziri mkuu anachukuwa pia majukumu yote ya waziri mkuu.

Kwa kifo hiki cha Zenawi, kitu cha mwanzo ambacho kinaweza kushuhudiwa haraka nchini Ethiopia, wanasema wachambuzi, ni ombwe la kiuongozi, ikihofiwa kwamba hakuna yeyote katika watu wake wa karibu aliyetayarishwa vyema kujaa kwenye kiti cha uwaziri mkuu.

Baadhi ya wanadiplomasia wamesema kwamba hawana hakika ni nguvu kiasi ambazo Naibu Waziri Mkuu, Hailemariam Desalegn, anazo hivi sasa.

Hailemariam alikuwa nchini China hadi hivi karibuni kabisa katika mkutano wa kilele na China. Taarifa za kibalozi na wachambuzi zinaonesha kuwa bado hakujawa na vita vya kugombea madaraka ndani ya chama tawala hadi sasa.

Sauti ya ugerumani Dw.
Mwandishi: Mohammed Khelef/Reuters/AFP
Mhariri: Daniel Gakuba

 

[CHUAKACHARA]

Ni kwamba kuwa huyu dictator amefariki dunia.

source: African news.com

 

[nngu007]

21 August 2012 Last updated at 07:03 ET

• 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died aged 57 in a hospital "abroad", the government says.

It did not give details but an EU spokesman later told journalists he had died in Brussels, Belgium.
Mr Meles had not been seen in public for weeks and speculation about his health mounted when he missed a summit in Addis Ababa last month.

Mr Meles took power as the leader of rebels that ousted communist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
He is credited with spearheading economic development in Ethiopia - but, critics charge, at the price of respect for human rights.

James Copnall BBC News

Meles Zenawi's death will have repercussions far beyond his country.

He was undeniably central to everything in Ethiopia - the good and the bad, the economic growth and development, as well as the repressive climate denounced by opposition politicians and journalists.
But he also played a key role in the region.

Since Mr Meles took power in 1991, Ethiopia has seen Eritrea secede, then fought a war with the new country. It also twice sent troops into Somalia to fight militants linked to al-Qaeda.

Ethiopia also has peacekeepers in Abyei, the border region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan.
Political leaders in all these countries will be carrying out rapid calculations about what Mr Meles' death means for them.

The West has also lost a key ally in the Horn of Africa.

Now the attention will switch to whether Mr Meles built a strong enough system to outlast him.

He was austere and hardworking, with a discipline forged from years spent in the guerrilla movement - and almost never smiled, says Elizabeth Blunt, the BBC's former correspondent in Addis Ababa.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said Mr Meles was an "intellectual leader for the continent", and the UK Prime Minister David Cameron called him "an inspirational spokesman for Africa" who had lifted millions out of poverty.

But a spokesman for al-Shabab Islamist militants in Somalia - where Mr Meles twice sent troops to fight - told Reuters news agency they were "very glad" of his death, saying Ethiopia was "sure to collapse".

'Sudden infection'Ethiopia's Council of Ministers announced "with great sadness the untimely death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi" in a statement, state TV reported.

"The premier [had] been receiving medical treatment abroad for the past two months and his health was improving, but due to a sudden infection which occurred [on Sunday], he went back to hospital for emergency treatment, and even if a lot of medical attention was given by his doctors, he died yesterday [Monday] at around 23:40," the statement said.

European Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly later told a regular news briefing that Mr Meles "passed away during the night here in Brussels".

It's a very, very sad day for the people of the Republic of South Sudan and the people of the East African region as a whole"
​

Barnaba BenjaminSouth Sudanese Information Minister'

Over some eight weeks that Mr Meles had been absent from the public eye, concerns about his health had grown, and in July he was said to have been admitted to hospital.

Reports suggested he was in hospital in the Belgian capital suffering a stomach complaint but these were never confirmed by the Ethiopian authorities.

Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who is also Ethiopia's foreign minister, will become acting head of government.

A period of mourning had been declared until the funeral, government spokesman Bereket Simon told reporters. No date has been announced.

Mr Bereket said the prime minister had struggled with illness for a year, but he had continued to work regardless.

Mr Bereket insisted Ethiopia was stable and "everything will continue as charted" by the late prime minister.

This theme was echoed by state television, which stated that "even if Ethiopia has been badly affected for missing its great leader, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi initiated fundamental policies and strategies which will be further strengthened".

It broadcast footage of Mr Meles accompanied by solemn instrumental music.

• Emerged from Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which carried out armed struggle against Communist military regime in 1970s and 1980s

• Became president in a transitional government in 1991 and then prime minister in 1995
• Married another TPLF veteran, Azeb Mesfin, and had three children
• Under his leadership, a closed and secretive country gradually opened to the outside world
• But reputation tarnished in 2000s amid increasing repression in Ethiopia

Three weeks ago, spokesman Mr Bereket dismissed reports Mr Meles was critically ill, and declined to give

any details about Mr Meles' whereabouts.
'Devil incarnate'Ethiopia's economy has grown rapidly in recent years, despite the secession of Eritrea and the subsequent war between the two countries.

Under Mr Meles, Ethiopia became a staunch US ally, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over

the years, and hosting the US military drones that patrol East Africa.
He won accolades from the West for sending troops to battle Islamist militants in Somalia, says the BBC's James Copnall.

But concern had been growing about the lack of democracy and human rights in Ethiopia, our correspondent in the region says.

At least 200 people died in the violence that followed the 2005 elections, and many journalists and politicians have been locked up.

One rights critic, Commander Assefa Seifu, called Mr Meles "a devil incarnate".
"He was always talking about democracy, civil rights, adherence to [the] constitution and the like. But it was only a lip service," he told the BBC.