<
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/02/is_ethiopia_s_pm_dead_or_jus
t_on_holiday> Is Ethiopia's PM dead, sick, or just on holiday?
Posted By Adrienne Klasa
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/images/091022_meta_block.gifThursday, August 2,
2012 - 10:42 AM
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/images/091022_meta_block.gif
In an echo of
<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/muslim-brotherhood-calls-for-protests-i
n-egypt/2012/06/19/gJQAFUEznV_story.html> death rumors that have
periodically surrounded former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and
Zimbabwean President
<
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/03/mugabe_takes_another_medical
_trip_to_singapore> Robert Mugabe this year, there's increasing speculation
about the whereabouts of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi after a local
radio station pronounced him dead. Meles hasn't been seen in public since
mid-July, and confirming his whereabouts and condition has proved difficult.
The confusion hit a
<
http://www.opride.com/oromsis/news/horn-of-africa/3601-icg-we-have-no-direc
t-knowledge-of-meles-health> fever pitch on July 30 when Ethiopian
opposition radio outlet ESAT announced it had confirmed that Meles had died.
They claimed to have received the information from diplomatic and
international sources including the International Crisis Group (ICG).
The news spread rapidly via social media, only to be
<
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/media-releases/2012/africa/e
thiopia-crisis-group-denies-media-reports-about-pm-s-fate.aspx> denied by
ICG in a July 31 statement on its website:
International Crisis Group has no direct knowledge about the state of health
of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Crisis Group has never commented
on Mr Meles's health or his fate, and is not in a position to speculate
about it. Crisis Group categorically denies any media claims to the
contrary.
Meles has ruled Ethiopia through a tightly controlled autocratic regime for
21 years, and many speculate that his demise would throw the ruling
establishment into chaos as his lieutenants vie for leadership.
Of course, it's not at all clear that Meles is dead, or close to death.
According to his party, he's just on vacation. Or sick. Or tired. The
<
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19078358> latest statement from an
Ethiopian government spokesperson claims Meles is on the mend from his
mystery ailment:
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is in "a good condition and
recuperating", a government spokesman has told the BBC, dismissing reports
he is critically ill.
However, Bereket Simon declined to give any details about Mr Meles'
whereabouts or what he is suffering from.
Mr Bereket had earlier been quoted as saying the prime minister, 57, was on
holiday.
ESAT is <
http://ecadforum.com/2012/07/31/meles-zenawi-is-dead/> sticking
with its story that Meles is, in fact, very dead indeed and that it used
other sources to confirm a tip from a protected source inside ICG:
ESAT's decision to report that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is dead,
according to reliable sources, has never been easy. It was two weeks ago
that we received the news from highly credible sources in Brussels. Our
sources that want to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak
to the media on this sensitive matter told us that the International Crisis
Group (ICG) concluded that Mr. Zenawi was deceased.
As a responsible media outlet, ESAT tried to investigate and verify the tip
meticulously before it decided to broadcast the news. To be fair to the
facts, we have also scrutinized the conflicting and contradictory
information coming out from the ruling TPLF clique.
Two other African presidents -- John Atta Mills of Ghana and Bingu wa
Mutharika of Malawi -- have passed away this year shortly after going abroad
for medical treatment. However, whereas the
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/world/africa/john-atta-mills-ghanas-presi
dent-dies-68.html> recent death of Atta Mills was clearly reported,
Mutharika's was
<
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2061805/Malawi-president-Bingu-wa-M
utharika-Im-dead-Im-holiday.html> rife with confusion. The president at one
point
<
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2061805/Malawi-president-Bingu-wa-M
utharika-Im-dead-Im-holiday.html> denied early rumors of his demise by
announcing to journalists: "I'm not dead.. I'm on holiday." He passed away
six months later.
Although the truth will certainly come out eventually, at present it's not
clear whether Ethiopia is in a
<
http://indepthafrica.com/news/east-africa/ethiopia-and-meles-leadership-cri
sis-can-become-a-democratic-opportunity/> crisis of leadership or simply has
a terribly uncoordinated government communications department.
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Received on Thu Aug 02 2012 - 15:23:29 EDT
