Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi died Monday evening after contracting a sudden infection while recovering from an undisclosed illness, according to Ethiopia's state-run television. "Prime Minister Zenawi suddenly passed away last night. Meles was recovering in a hospital overseas for the past two months but died of a sudden infection at 11:40," state television said. Speculation about Meles' health began to surface when the 57-year-old failed to attend an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last month. Meles became president in 1991 when Mengistu Haile Mariam's military junta was ousted, a post Meles occupied until 1995, when he became prime minister. During his time in office, Meles has been credited with ushering in economic growth and battling Islamist militants, which won him accolades from the West. With Meles' passing, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has been put in charge of the Cabinet.
