Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                   Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dies

   Ethiopian state television reports Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has
   died.
   Meles had not been seen in public for more than a month because of an
   undisclosed illness.
   Prime Minister Meles ruled his country for more than 20 years, after
   the alliance of rebel groups he led, the EPRDF (Ethiopian People's
   Revolutionary Democratic Front) seized power in a 1991 coup.
   His most serious challenge came in the 2005 elections, when opposition
   parties said the government rigged to results to cheat them of
   victory.  Nearly 200 people died in post-election violence and
   protests.
   In the most recent elections in 2010, the EPRDF and its allies took all
   but one seat in parliament, sparking new accusations of fraud.
   Conflict with neighboring country
   Under Meles, Ethiopia's foreign policy was characterized by conflict
   and tension with Eritrea.  The two countries fought a border war from
   1998 to 2000 that killed more than 70,000 people.
   In 2006, Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia to fight Islamist militants
   allegedly armed and trained by the Eritrean government.  Ethiopian
   forces returned to Somalia last year in a multi-nation offensive
   against militant group al-Shabab.
   Meles earned praise abroad for improvements in the economy, education
   and health care.  He was also known as an ally to the United States in
   the war against terrorism.  But human rights groups sharply criticized
   him for various abuses, including restrictions on independent media.
   The criticism increased in recent years as Ethiopian courts jailed
   journalists and political activists under an anti-terrorism law that
   rights groups said was overly vague and broad.
   Meles was born in the northern Ethiopian town of Adwa in 1955.  He
   attended Addis Ababa University for two years before joining the
   Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front, or TPLF, one of several groups that
   was fighting the government of Mengistu Hailemariam.  The TPLF later
   became the core group within the EPRDF.
   After taking power in 1991, Meles served as president for four years
   before assuming the prime minister's post in 1995.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/ethiopian-pm-dies/1491969.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/ethiopian-pm-dies/1491969.html