The Special Envoy of the President of the Republic and South Sudan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin has said the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi was the voice of the voiceless in Africa.

Dr. Benjamin was speaking at the occasion to make the first anniversary of the late Prime Minister Zenawi on Tuesday when he made the remarks.

He said the death of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister was not only a loss to the people of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia , but also a great loss to the people of South Sudan.

“Late Zenawi was the voice of the voiceless in Africa in so many issues; he was an advocate of peace, security and economic development” Dr. Benjamin said.

It’s through the efforts of late Zenawi that South Sudan today enjoys relative peace, Dr. Benjamin remarked.

More so, he said the Lamu oil pipeline Project that is expected to provide an alternative export route for South Sudan’s crude oil to the international market is one of the many initiatives that Zenawi can be remembered for.

Regional leaders including Presidents Omar Hassan el Bashir of Sudan, Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, government representatives and foreign dignitaries gathered in the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa to commemorate the anniversary of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Zenawi who passed away a year ago in Brussels, Belgium.

Dr. Benjamin called upon the incumbent Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn to embrace the legacy of Zenawi to work for the peace in the region and unity in the continent. “The people of the Republic of South Sudan are praying so hard to see peace in the region especially between Ethiopia and Eritrea, peace in DRC, Central African Republic, Egypt, and Sudan,” the minister told the gathering.

The heads of the state present pledged to embrace the “Zenawi legacy” to lead the region into peace and prosperity. They described the late as “a visionary and realistic leader” whose plans especially on agricultural transformation and climate change have left a remarkable impact in the region.

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Source: News Agency of South Sudan via AllAfrica – Aug. 23, 2013.