Another African leader, Ethiopian Prime Minister Zenawi, dies 57.

By John Chola – 21/08/2012

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died in hospital abroad, the government said Tuesday. This is after weeks of speculation about his health. He was admitted to hospital in July and since then the nature of his condition has not been made public. "Prime Minister Meles Zenawi passed away yesterday evening at around midnight," spokesman, Bereket Simon said, adding that the 57-year-old "was abroad" when he died, without giving further details. Meles had not been seen in public for two months, and had been reported to have been sick in a hospital in Brussels, although Bereket gave no details of the illness. "He had been recuperating well, but suddenly something happened and he had to be rushed to the ICU (intensive care unit) and they couldn't keep him alive." According to Ethiopia's constitution, Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is to "act on behalf of the Prime Minister in his absence". • Mels Zenawi Asresnhas been Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 1995. He was President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995. • Born: May 8, 1955 (age 57), Adwa • Party: Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front • Education: Addis Ababa University (1974), Erasmus University, Open University Analysts say it has not been clear how the government has been run since Meles was reported to have fallen sick in June. The position of president is largely honorific and Meles, a former rebel fighter who came to power in 1991 after toppling the bloody dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, held the real political power. Just about a month ago on July 24, 2012 Ghana's President John Atta Mills died suddenly.