Ethiopia Faces Dangers but Also Opportunities in Meles Succession
Despite tensions in the ruling party over choosing a replacement, the passing of a man who ruled for a generation may produce a more responsive government The coffin of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi arrives at Holy Trinity church for burial in Addis Ababa on September 2, 2012. Meles Zenawi died on August 20, 2012. His funeral marks the end of a 21 year rule of the country. CARL DE SOUZA—AFP/GETTY IMAGES Nibret Gelese spent years saving up to move from his home town Mekele, in the north of Ethiopia , and make a newlife in Addis Ababa. “Everyone said it was the place to be, the place to get rich,” he tells TIME shutting the rusty door to his small phone shop. “Now I’m not sure what to expect, everyone is pretty scared about what might happen without Meles.” Nibret’s anxiety over life without Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died August 20 from an undisclosed illness after ruling Ethiopia for 21 years, is echoed across the sprawling capital. “Meles was our hero, he