Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres; 9 May 1955 – 20 August 2012, born Legesse Zenawi Asres) was the Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his death in 2012. From 1989, he was the chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front, and the head of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Frontsince its formation in 1991. Before becoming a prime minister in 1995, he had served the president of the transitional government of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995...
NationalityEthiopian
ProfessionWorld Leader
Date of Birth8 May 1955
CityAdwa, Ethiopia
CountryEthiopia
I regret the deaths but these were not normal demonstrations. You don't see hand grenades thrown at normal demonstrations,
They will not be released and they are accused of engaging in insurrection... they will have their day in court.
Over the years, I've come to recognize that democratization in Ethiopia is not just a matter of choice. It's a matter of national survival. I am deeply convinced that we either democratize and have a good chance of surviving, or if we fail to do so, we disintegrate.
the Ethiopian government is looking all matters with utmost patience.
Africa's downfall has always been the cult of the personality. And their names always seem to begin with M. We've had Mobutu and Mengistu and I'm not going to add Meles to the list.
The CUD (Coalition for Unity and Democracy) leaders are engaged in insurrection -- that is an act of treason under Ethiopian law. They will be charged and they will appear in court,
The (CUD) officials who have been arrested will be taken to court, ... They are responsible for all these things.
Some people think African states cannot be trusted with the cookie jar. But there are absolutely good NGOs who have this feeling of human solidarity and who also recognize that their work can only be supplementary to the government.
The violence has marred the image of Ethiopia, ... The worst is clearly behind us and we do not expect any such violence in the near future.
Out of 60 CUD control committee members, the government decided to arrest only 25 suspected of being involved in violence,
The CUD is responsible for the damage and loss of life that has occurred in the capital in the last three days,
We have our own script. We have our own calendar. We represent the greatness of Africa's past. We also represent the worst of Africa's present, in terms of poverty. It is the best and the worst of African reality.
What the implications of this will be in terms of relations between Ethiopia and the EU we will have to wait and see. But I don't think you will be surprised if Ethiopia were to insist that it should not be patronised.
We have taken measures and beefed up our defense capabilities around the border since December to prevent any miscalculation by the other side,