ETHIOPIA: Thousands of Ethiopians and at least 15 African leaders attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Record ID: 702304

  • Title: ETHIOPIA: Thousands of Ethiopians and at least 15 African leaders attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
  • Date: 2nd September 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS AT CEREMONY (SOUNDBITE) (English) US AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, SUSAN RICE, SAYING: "He taught himself and many others so much. But he wasn't just brilliant. He wasn't just a relentless negotiator and a formidable debater. He wasn't just a thirsty consumer of knowledge. He was uncommonly wise; able to see the bigger picture and the long game." MEMBERS OF ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA, SAYING: "[With} Prime Minister Zenawi at the helm, a generation of Ethiopians have seen their country emerge from hunger and destitution to be a fast growing economy." MELES' COFFIN BEING TAKEN OFF PODIUM
  • Embargoed: 17th September 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ethiopia
  • Country: Ethiopia
  • Topics: Obituaries,People
  • Reuters ID: LVAB0TE5LRVO2BHHNZKEJXVKB0YH
  • Story Text: Thousands of Ethiopians and at least 15 African leaders paid their respects on Sunday (September 2) at the funeral of Meles Zenawi, the guerrilla leader turned economic reformer who died last month, after more than two decades in power.
    The Prime Minister's coffin was draped in the national flag and placed on a black carriage.
    A procession that included a military band and religious dignitaries moved from his residence to the vast Meskel Square for the ceremony.
    The large crowd of mourners who had gathered in the square waved flags and wept as they listened to speeches.
    The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice described Meles as a direct leader with a world-class mind.
    "He taught himself and many others so much. But he wasn't just brilliant. Hhe wasn't just a relentless negotiator and a formidable debater. He wasn't just a thirsty consumer of knowledge. He was uncommonly wise; able to see the bigger picture and the long game," she said.
    Meles died at a hospital in Brussels aged 57. Authorities said he had died of an infection after receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
    He was due to step down in 2015 at the end of his fourth term as prime minister.
    Heavy rain poured down as the cortege, flanked by top military officers, moved in procession to the Holy Trinity Cathedral for the funeral service and burial ceremony.
    Meles made major contributions to regional security, twice sending troops into Somalia to battle Islamist rebels, and deploying Ethiopian peacekeepers in several African hotspots like Rwanda, Liberia and Sudan's Darfur and Abyei regions.
    He seized power from Mengistu Haile Mariam's military junta in 1991 after a 17-year civil war in the Horn of Africa country, and pushed through reforms that gave Ethiopia one of the strongest growth rates in Africa.
    He took a strong stand against Islamist militancy in the region, a position that won praise from Western powers, while suppressing political opponents at home - which did not.
    Despite economic growth that barely fell below 8 percent a year between 2004 and 2011, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and his opponents say his suppression of dissent held the country back.
    South African President Jacob Zuma praised Meles for his drive to expand the country's economic strength and help its people feed themselves.
    "[With] the Prime Minister Zenawi at the helm, a generation of Ethiopians have seen their country emerge from hunger and destitution to be a fast growing economy," Zuma said.
    The former deputy prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, was named as his successor and is due to take office within days.
    Meles was laid to rest in the Holy Trinity Church behind the palace, where famed Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie is buried.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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