Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died, state television
reported Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation about his whereabouts and
state of health.
The television station
said Zenawi died late Monday from an unspecified infection. Deputy Prime
Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is now in charge, the station said.
The news came almost a
week after a government spokesman said Zenawi was "recovering well" from
treatment for an unspecified illness.
The usually visible leader has not appeared in public for two months.
Zenawi, 57, came to power two decades ago and was considered a strong force in the frequently volatile Horn of Africa.
The secretive nation had
released little information about his whereabouts, prompting rumors and
opposition claims that he was dead or facing a life-threatening illness.
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