Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dies

 Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who led the Horn of Africa country for more than two decades, died of an infection while being treated abroad for an undisclosed illness, state-run television said on Tuesday.

Speculation that Meles, 57, was seriously ill grew after he failed to attend an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last month.

“Prime Minister Zenawi suddenly passed away last night. Meles was recovering in a hospital overseas for the past two months but died of a sudden infection at 11:40 (on Monday night),” state television said.

Meles seized power in 1991 from Mengistu Haile Mariam’s military junta. As president and then prime minister he turned Ethiopia into a key player in regional security affairs.

His forces, widely regarded as among the strongest on the continent, have entered Somalia twice to battle Islamist militants, winning him accolades from the West for supporting its fight against al-Qaida linked groups.

State media said Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn would be the acting prime minister. Television broadcast footage of Meles against a backdrop of solemn, instrumental music.

Ethiopia’s government said last month that Meles was taking a break to recover from an unspecified condition. Diplomats in Addis Ababa had said Meles was being treated in Brussels for an undisclosed illness, while others said he was in Germany.