Ethiopia lays leader to rest

Published on 03/09/2012 00:00

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians and at least 15 heads of state turned out yesterday to pay their respects at the funeral of Meles Zenawi, the guerrilla leader turned popular economic reformer who died last month after more than two decades in power.

The prime minister’s coffin, draped in the national flag and placed on a black carriage, moved slowly from his residence to the vast Meskel Square, in a procession that included a military band and religious dignitaries. Mr Meles, who was due to step down in 2015 at the end of his fourth term as prime minister, died at a hospital in Brussels aged 57. The authorities said he had died of an infection after receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.