By now, talks about the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s health could not be dismissed as mere rumors.
Of course, the rumor mill has never abated in years. Claiming his or his ministers misfortune is a favorite talk-point of some Ethiopian diaspora outlets. In deed, according to Google search, the Premier and a number of key officials were reported as dead or in comma years ago. Similar rumors often spread in Addis, though the local press got to be cautious for obvious reasons. The latest of such cases would be the claim that Wikileaks will disclose the deteriorating heath conditions of Meles Zenawi. A rumor widely reported as a fact until Wikileaks released the full throve and discredit it.![On June 17, 2012, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Los Cabos [Photo - China Foreign Ministry]](https://hornaffairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/on-june-17-2012-chinese-president-hu-jintao-met-with-ethiopian-prime-minister-meles-zenawi-in-lo.jpg "On June 17, 2012, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Los Cabos [Photo - China Foreign Ministry]")
Thus, no wonder, the latest claim of Meles’s illness was subject to suspect, ab initio. But there were also several variables that equivocated the evidences brought to back up the claim.
The first and oft-cited evidence the recent rumor is a photo taken after a meeting of the Prime Minister with the Chinese President on the sidelines the G-20 summit on June 17, in Los Cabos, Mexico. (see photo, on the right side, from China’s Foreign Ministry.) The photo is believed to shown a pale and thinner Meles Zenawi than the one we usually see. There was also a brief footage of the meeting, where the Premier appeared pale.
But the claim wasn’t given much weight. Perhaps because the footage didn’t get much, if any, coverage in the local media and was too brief to be conclusive at any rate. Though the photo was posted on state-owned media, it lacked clarity. Not to mention, the doubt casted by its publication on state media. In fact, curiously, Meles Zenawi appears more pale on the photo posted on ETV website than on the Chinese site. Looked like an indication of that the top brass are not worried about the rumor. The credibility of the claim was further undermined as it was spearheaded by EthSat TV, an openly opposition activist outlet and allegedly affiliated with Ginbot 7, according to a US State Department report released last year.
Government spokesperson dismissed the claim on June 22, saying ‘the Prime Minister is good health, to my knowledge’. The spokesperson added, ‘the Prime Minister is carrying out his duties properly’. News reports of the Spokesperson’s reply had little effect, as the public knows better than to expect a timely info on a matter of this gravity. But, then, the Premier was reportedly in a meeting in Brazil that day.
The rumor got a new momentum by June 26, however. That is when the state-owned ETV aired a footage of the Premier meeting Somalia’s president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in Addis Ababa. An already alerted audience was quick to pick signs of illness. Many agreed the Premier’s weight loss was too big to be deemed to be normal. The possibility that Meles might have started a diet, as suggestion by Fortune, only raises further question as to what forced him to embark on such a radical change.
Last week, the rumor mill received further boost when the Parliament extended its session beyond July 7 – a date when its about three months long recess was suppose to begin. The extension was interpreted a result of the Prime Minister’s inability to go to parliament and defend next year’s budget bill, a task he personally carried out in the past two decades. This added weight to the rumor on the Prime Minister’s heath, though, in actuality, the extension was not unprecedented. The Parliament’s office claimed the extension was due to another planned event (exhibition?), but it was not taken seriously.
This week the Premier’s absence was even more visible: Especially with his absence in the celebration of South Sudan anniversary in Juba and the reception of foreign dignitaries. In deed, in the past two years, it has become customary to see his deputy, heir-apparent, Hailemariam Desalegne covering major events from UN general assembly to chairing the Council of Ministers. Yet, it is expected that Meles Zenawi would go to S.Sudan – a country of strategic significance to Ethiopia and where he is expected to use his personal clout to convince officials in Juba into taking a compromising stance towards with Khartoum. Similarly, PM Meles would wish to use his personal charm with Nick Westcott, EU Managing Director, who just arrived in Addis yesterday.
The afore-mentioned indicators may not be unexplainable – especially, when taken individually. After all, the PM was absent from public view only for 18 days. And, this is not unprecedented. In fact, he similarly disappeared in mid-September 2011 for almost 17 days skipping several events, as reported then in this blog. Though, there were no photographs then that suggest a health issue.
Tomorrow will be different, however.
Ethiopia is hosting of the African Union summit as of this week. The heads of governments are expected to meet tomorrow. A document titled “Program of Event During the Period of the July 2012 Assembly of the Union – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia”, available online, indicated the Ethiopian Premier is expected on three events. Those are:
Banquet offered by H.E. Ato Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia [July 15, 2012 19.30 hrs]
Consideration of the Report of H.E. Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) – [July 16]
Consideration of the Report of H.E. Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) on Africa’s preparation for the Climate Change Negotiations at the 18th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP 18) – [July 16]
However, this blogger learnt on Friday that the PM won’t attend the AU Summit, which will discuss his reports on Monday. It couldn’t be confirmed if he wi
ll receive the Egyptian President and also attend the banquet on Sunday. Yet, it appears unlikely.
Hmm... PM #Meles #Zenawi can't or won't attend the AU summit.
cc: Danielberhane's Blog
While there is no official statement, the informally communicated explanation for this is: The Prime Minister needed rest. It is just exhaustion. But exhaustion is a very broad word – be it in its dictionary meaning or medical sense. The cause can range from intensive diet or frequent meeting to an attempt to quit cigarette to, God forbid, cancer or treatments of cancer. Unsurprisingly, the latter is the primary explanation advanced by the diaspora media.
Upon writing this article, Tsedi Lema, editor-in-chief of the English language monthly magazine Addis Standard, came up with a breaking news on facebook:
President Makky Sall of Senegal confirmed that PM Meles was absent due to his health condition; Thomas Yayi Bon wished PM Meles a speedy recovery.
The 27th summit of NEPAD heads of state and government orientation committee (HSGOC) going on in the conspicuous absence of PM Meles Zenawi, Known by many as the lone mover and shaker of the beast. Among the 21 member countries, most are represented by their presidents and Prime Ministers. The meeting is chaired by the president of Senegal Maky Sall……
Present amongst the participants are president of South Africa, Cameroon, Namibia, Lesotho and Malawi. Ethiopia is represented by [Advisor to the PM] Ato Neway Gebre Ab.
[…the great team at Addis Standard are all here bringing you the latest.]
Let’s save for another day the question why the government chose the Ethiopian people hear about their leader from a foreigner.
The more urgent question is why they felt it necessary to delay the news this long – with an astonishing level of secrecy. Apparently, even some higher officials were left in the dark in the absence formal clarification.
One possibility would be, taking the worst case scenario, the PM and the officials needed time to ensure a smooth transition. The extension of the Parliament’s session then could be for something bigger than a budget bill.
But this is contradicted by several indicators as well as the absence of visible tension among key ministers, who were busy revising their budget in the past week. Not to mention, the alert level is not raised in the military and the federal police, nor is there a change in the personal security of key ministers, as would be expected in a country that had no peaceful transition of power for about seven hundred years.
Another possibility is that the officials were hoping that the PM will recover sooner, at least in time for the AU summit. Thus, they might have planned to present the PM himself and redicule all the rumor. Yet, the non-appearance of the Premier do not necessary indicate ‘a deteriorating health status’ as some were quick to claim.
It could simply be the case that he didn’t recover as fast as hoped. Given the significance attached to appearance in the Ethiopian public, the Premier’s public appearance, before getting his full stature back, might create the sense of power vacuum. Thus, a pre-mature appearance might be deemed dangerous than the rumor. The apparent calm among ministers’ and diplomats appears to support this possibility.
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* editing were made to clarify the last paragraph (@12:40 am)
Check the Meles Zenawi archive for related topics.
You made some really good points there. I checked on the internet for more information about the issue
and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
today is a sad day for every ethiopian citizen.today our leader died.ther will be no one that can replace him.he will never be forgoten.
I am with a deepest sympathy on the death of His Excellency Meles Zenawi.to hear today.
He will return to his office Soon.i am sorry for those who wish death for our beloved leader.guys you don’t know the derg. He ( melese ) struggled to liberate his nation from hands of Illiterate junta while You are liking Ice creams on the streets of addis ababa and Washington DC. He is also Successful in transforming his country to development.
THE VISIONARY MAN DOES N’T DIE !!
Meles Zenawi is the cleverest and most engaging Prime Minister in Africa – a transformational leader ever witnessed by many highly distinguished leaders across the globe!!He entertains western visitors with humour and irony, deploying a diffident, self-deprecating style which cleverly conceals an absolute determination to control his country and its destiny, free of outside interference. No leader has ever defined Ethiopia socially, politically and economically like Meles-led EPRDF! Wish him fast recovery !!
let us pray for his recovery!i am Sure God will Help us!
most favourable leader……………………you r sick u need help.who r you ?BEREKET SIMON, Meles is the worst we’ve ever had,unless of course u happened to receive a piece from THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY ROBBED
TANX JANA ALL THIS BUNCH OF COWARDS R PRAISING MELES FOR ALL THE TROUBLES HE CAUSED,he is the worst leader ever
DEAR LEADER………….who r you BEREKET SIMON, Meles is the worst we’ve ever had,unless of course u happened to receive a piece from THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY ROBBED
OF COURSE HE WILL BE BACK IN A COFFIN
REAL LEADER…………who r you BEREKET SIMON, Meles is the worst we’ve ever had,unless of course u happened to receive a piece from THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY ROBBED
BELOVED LEADER………….who r you BEREKET SIMON, Meles is the worst we’ve ever had,unless of course u happened to receive a piece from THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY ROBBED
recovery………….who r you BEREKET SIMON, Meles is the worst we’ve ever had,unless of course u happened to receive a piece from THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY ROBBED
wish him fast recovery. i agree that he is a smart guy with a vision but it doesn’t mean that he is the only one who can lead Ethiopia to a better future. there are lots of individuals who have the potential to lead like meles or more. it is a matter of opportunity. he needs to look and prepare on proper succession planning and work on his legacy. if we are saying he shouldn’t die bc Ethiopia is not going to survive without meles that is a wrong premise to begin with as he is mortal so we need to think beyond that what can be done to sustain the development and improve democracy if meles isn’t here. i don’t think thousands died in the battle field just to keep meles in power forever. they died for democracy and development to flourish in the country whether meles lives or not. i am not anti meles but this what i think regarding meles and my country.
God will never and ever let as down…………..
there’s change in the near future…….”Mesmer Eyu Aylena ….”
of course he is fantastic leader but he is depend on foreign aid and his birth place
and he is not have democratic
Hey all We should have to be proud of him you know without him what ethiopian will look like he is a smart beloved and blesd leader no one will lead us he does no body will protect our interst if we loose him belive me we will loose everything not only economical political social but also individual interest so please stop once and think about him think what he has done to us he makes us visonary to start look a head rather than look near so everyone who can see the future of ethiopia defnatly would love PM Meles Zenawi and wishes him to be well.
meles is sick now cos he has to deal with such slow minded person like you .i don’t think if there is any person or system who worked so hard to bring the southern part of ethiopia and shine bright . let alone killing the sidama people from what i remembered is he let the sidama and all southerners to be part of ethiopia’s transformation plan. even the deputy pm is from this area . like daniel said unless you are a 20 year old ignorant , you would remember if minilk oe hailesselasse or mengistu ever considered the sidama people as ethiopians . think hard before you speak .
Very good everybody! God doesn’t depend up on our emotional judgement. Everybody harvests what he sows. It is not our vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meles you deserve suffering and death because you imprisoned & killed my people ruthlessly!
Rely I love him and I wish for his health recover soon
Thank you His lovers
The have no words to explain our filing in the short word thanks GOD!to heal our pm Melese .
“Yetelat mengoty alitesakam ” “GOD love Melese and Melese love GOD”
Everybody`s attitude,is about matters of matters what about human and democratic rights of this and next generation. Those feudal and nobilities`sons and daughters are going to violating and polluting all our values.
Hello all
I am glad he is well and may be will be back soon. I can not imagine any one replacing him from all the ones around him. Every time he talks he makes so much sense about what he is doing what his vision is for Ethiopia. Ehiopia had many problems before and will continue to have problems in the future. You only judge governments by what they try to do to resolve those problems . I admire the sincerity by which Meles is trying to alleviate the economic problems of Ethiopa . Believe me it is on the right track. Who ever takes over this governement , whenever , I hope will continue with this same path.
Ethnicity will go off b/c it only his idiology to divide and rule!!
I can not say he is an angel and i am not sure that i like him. He is a person and he made mistakes,probably big ones we can mention lots of them but we can mention the good ones too.For me i do not know where he is on my “balance sheet” but i am sure he will be on the +ve side. these days he is doing very good and we cannot deny that.lots of projects underway with lots of problems on the way: inflation,no food secuirity, luck of job oportunity etc. For me, these are the price that we have to pay to see a better ethiopia tomorrow. finally i hope he specifically and the party in general took a lesson from this situation. hope you feel well soon.
I am truly saddened to hear about our beloved leader illness and wish him quick recovery. god bless mr. meles zenawi. I believe you are the best leader that ethiopia ever had as far as i know!!
get well mela
i beg&pray to my god to recover from his illness&he will change undemocrate leading style .he is dynamic leader in building infrastracture but not in democracy
MOST OF OPINIONS ARE POSITIVE BUT THEY WEIGHT HEALTH WITH HIS PERSONALITY.IF HE RETURNED, HE MUST CHANGE HIS REVANGE ATTITUDE AS THE VISSION OF STUDENT MOVEMENT.HE MUST ACCEPT ADVICE OF CITICENS.WE SUFFER AND HE ENJOYE NEVER BEEN.OK!!
Oh God help us from loosing him , Everybody is worried about him and our country too it is obvious that there are in and out enemies to use this opportunity and distroy all this development , We belive in God and he will help us.
Your considerations are all mistakes. You are preaching like somebody teaching in the Church. Meles is a man and Perfect politician who maintained his power and worked for it. Meles’s personality was timly and needed for this country. His courage, strength, he is a man with visions and principles, high self confidence and best ability to face challenges. According to me he is a born leader with incomparisonable penetrating approaches. May he come back
safe!!
U must be trying to misinform peoples about Meles. Come and see what he did what he is doing and even plan to do to our country. Shame on U, I wish and pray to God that he will be back healthy even at the ex pence of my life. .
Brothers and sisters let me ask u one thing have u ever asked why a bunch of people dislike him?Have u stopped and asked urself wether he is fulfilling the dream of what thousands fought and died for? have u asked how many lives are lost and ruined by him and his government? have u ever asked how many big decisions are made that affects the country with out the participation of others? Have’t u seen him while he is arresting, killing and displacing guys from their post (even his friends) while they are trying to tell him he is doing wrong or for fear of losing his power.
As most of u and as an Ethiopian guy raised properly i do not want any body to die early.And I do not want Meles to die but I pray God to teach him that he can not be above everything.He can not be above the people,He can not be above God.And I wish him to recover from his illiness so that he can get time to sit,think and regret for injustice committed by him so that we would be able to see new meles.If he will be reluctant to exploit that opportunity he will learn while he goes to prison house like his predessors.
May god bless Ethiopia and all of us
He just arrived Addis Today afternoon. after completing his treatment.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
he is fantastic Ethiopian leader!I am sorry! God bless u our brilliantine prime minister!
I pray long Live to Meles
I PRAY TO GOD THAT OUR LEADER WILL RECOVER SOON
I wish our lovely PM to be recovered soon. I hope God is with us.He will recover our premier soo.
we will get a brain like melese once in the century we will pray for his health …..
zenebe kumo
allows I pray GOD!My GOD bring him back and My GOD protect him from any harm. Anchamo yenaner afootok bebatamo ikotohura Maganu marohe atkyine gojamoho .
PM melese Sidamu magane ledok ikko huret dageena magano ledon galantemo assonke
Let me guess; You must be under twenty, clueless about history, and confused about the meaning of the word “Dictator”
am sorry for his illness
can any body compare him with other ethiopian leaders before ? i dont because meles was is and may be will be a historical leader like chinease historical leader ,though leading a country for more than 20 years has its own inmpact on his capacity phisical and mental he did good in establishing good governing system and created powerful people who can guide this country as of him.the country is rooted in a best stable postion and no problems will happen on the stablity of the country as we all seen .we hope he will be ok soon.
i hope our pm will recover soon!!!!
Every body gets sick for any reason; I donot wish sickness to any body even for enemies. I want to see our PM lead with good shape for the remaing of his term and be retired with deginity afterwards. He has been the best, not perfect, leader this country has ever seen given the favarable conditions he enjoyed to exercise ever increasing leadership. His biggest shortcoming is absence of delegate leadership.
Mey God protect him from any harm!
We pray that for quik recovery.
We cannot afford loosing PM Meles Zenawi: Such a committed, talented leader with wealth of experiences. If we lose him It will be a loss for Africa as he had been the voice of Africa . May god bring him back. May the almighty GOD extend his mercy to help you get better soon if you are really sick.
I wish him a speedy recovery because it seems he is trying to escape the current religion and economic mess.I need to see him chained and appear in the Hague.
I pray for him and for the country. because he the leader of the time and I hope get well soon.
he will recover soon and lead the country again.
Meles GOD be with u!!!!
My prayers for speedy and complete recovery go out to PM Meles.
We cannot afford loosing PM Meles Zenawi: Such a committed, talented leader with wealth of experiences. We Love you Meles and we need you as you are a great leader of our nation.
May almighty God, the healer and the saviour, be with you. I Pray unto him. He is beyond our thoughts and all miracles in his hands to heal you. Jesus LOVES you. Amen!
he is dictator i have ever seen in ethiopia, and he has killed millions of ethiopian innocent peoples . e.g since 1994 e.c thousands of sidama innocent people were killed by this dictator leader. therefore god may give him revenge!!!
He is not just a leader for Ethiopia . If we lose him It will be a loss for Africa as he had been the voice of Africa . May god bring him back so that all these wonderful things like High Ways Railroads Gidib etc that he started will contnue.
I do not want to here bad things about Our PM because he is the one and the most favorable leader of Ethiopia. He is our Flag. I hope what I heard is voice of his and Ethiopian enemies.
Thank you Daniel for giving us more analytic and balanced info. No matter what political group we represent or individual feelings we have about Meles, wishing him death (like most of the diaspora media have been doing) is too cruel an act.
You are opportunist!
I am the living testimony to witness what u did in the past; u proved to be a pragmatic leader. During my way to install PV systems to rural schools all around the country I had a chance to see what his government did in building the nation. All residents are praying for his health.
May GOD be there to heal you our beloved leader(PM Meles)!! You did and hope will continue to do great things(Miracles). May the almighty GOD extend his mercy to help you get better soon if you really are sick. I wish the rumors of your being ill be far-fetched. Love and respect you our PM.
I won’t pray for his health improvement,We all pray to God to erase his ethnic based leadership!!
I pray in the name of Jesus, that you may be healed,… Best regard to our beloved PM, MELESE ZENAWI…
You idiot u call meles a great leader…for you yaa,… he gave you nice bread…..time to go babe…fine a way out for yourself….open your eyes
We said time will come!!!!!!
he is a wonderful leader, and at this time we really need him, we are going blind. please come back….
Meles, You have still a lot to do for Ethiopia. I pray to God to give you a minimum of 100 years and not such an early breakout. Who could be more appropriate to lead such a country with too many national and international conspiracies to make sure Ethiopia crawls.
May Dear God help you our dear leader !
yes meles will come back!!
Mele is a real leader, figure head who is born to lead a dark nation like Ethiopia to development and prosperity. I dont think we can make it without him. I love him as a father and a leader. Get wee soon, I will be your deciple for eva.
Yilma I agreed 100% by your comment. he is once in a life time leader. we both should pray for his health. hope God recover his health soon. guys dont be chifen amelekakit. he is a leader proved himself by work.
Get well soon Mele!!!
As Melese is our beloved leader who struggled to build an economically ruined country, we pray for him to get better health and come back to lead his people. We don’t want to loose him at this stage of his leadership abilities. He is one in a crowd, he is one in millions, and billions even. I advice every believer of any religion to pray for his good health.
Thank you Daniel for your insightful Analysis. I wish the PM a fast recovery!
The writing of this article was interrupted by three blackouts in the past 24 hours. Yet, I decided to publish it as part one, as there is no guarantee about the internet connection tomorrow, for obvious reasons.