Waziri mkuu Meles Zenawi amefariki Jumatatu usiku akiwa na umri wa miaka 57 kutokana na ugonjwa usojulikana wakati akipata matibabu katika nchi ya kigeni.
Akizungumza kwenye mkutano na waandishi habari mjini Addis Abeba Jumanne, msemaji wa serikali Bereket Simon hatutoa maelezo zaidi juu ya ugonjwa wa Bw Meles au wapi amekuwa akitibiwa.
Hata hivyo ameleza kwamba waziri mkuu alikua anauguwa tangu mwaka jana na kwamba mkewe na watoto wake walikuwa pamoja nae alipofariki.
"Baada ya wiki kumi za matibabu katika nchi ya kigeni alifariki jana kiasi cha usiku wa manane na mwili wake utarudishwa Etopia hivi karibuni," alisema Bw. Bereket.
Mwili wa Meles ulirudishwa nyumbani Jumanne usiku kutoka Ubelgiji ambako alikuwa anatibiwa
Bereket aliwambia waandishi habari kwamba naibu waziri mkuu na waziri wa mambo ya nchi za nje Hailemariam Desalegn atapishwa kuwa waziri mkuu mpya wa Ethopia. Anasema hapatakuwepo na uchaguzi kwani katiba inamruhusu naibu waziri mkuu kuchukua madaraka.
Akizungumza na Sauti ya Amerika Katibu Mkuu wa zamani wa Umoja wa Afrika Salim Ahmed Salim anasema, Meles atakumbukwa kuwa ni mzalendo aliyetetea maslahi ya Afrika na kuleta mabadiliko makubwa ya kiuchumi na kijami nchini mwake.
Mahojiano na Salim Ahmed Salim
Meles Zenawi hakuonekana hadharani tangu mwishoni mwa mwezi wa June. Serikali ya Ethopia ilisuta uvumi kwamba alikuwa katika hali mahtuti.

Marhemu Meles Zenawi waziri mkuu wa Ethopia awasili na mkewe Azeb Mesfi kwa kikao cha 18 cha mkutano wa viongozi wa Umoja wa Afrika Addis Ababa, Januari 29, 2012.

Meles speaks to reporters after meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf in Cairo, Egypt, September 17, 2011.

Officials move a portrait of Meles shortly after the announcement of his death in Addis Ababa August 21, 2012.

Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon (R) makes the official announcement of Meles' death in Addis Ababa August 21, 2012.

Meles accompanies Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as he arrives at Addis Ababa's African Hall to attend a meeting, June 26, 1995.

A poster featuring the prime minister displayed in downtown Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 2010.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan with Meles before their meeting in the office of the prime minister in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 30, 1998.

Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity, meets with Meles in Addis Ababa, June 28, 1995.

Meles and other world leaders pose during a group photo at the G20 summit in Toronto, Canada, June 27, 2010.

Meles lifts his cap to salute supporters of the EPRDF party at the Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, May 25, 2010.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Meles at the London Conference on Somalia, February 23, 2012.

Meles and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow, Russia, December 3, 2001.

U.S. President George W. Bush chats with Meles during a meeting with Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi for talks on combatting international terrorism, the White House, Washington, December 5, 2002.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder welcomes Meles to Berlin, Germany, February 5, 2002.

Ethiopian national flags fly at half mast in Addis Ababa August 21, 2012.