Ethiopian PM Zenawi dies following illness

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died following an illness. According to a government spokesman, he died in a hospital abroad - but did not reveal the place or any details of his ailment.

Speculation about his health mounted when he missed an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last month.

Meles took power as the leader of rebels that ousted communist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.

He had dominated Ethiopian public life since the 1990s, as president and then prime minister.

He was austere and hardworking, with a discipline forged from years spent in the guerrilla movement - and almost never smiled, says Elizabeth Blunt, the BBC's former correspondent in Addis Ababa.

Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga told the BBC he feared for the stability of Ethiopia following Mr Meles' death. He said the situation in the country was fragile and ethnic violence continued to be a threat.

Under Mr Meles, Ethiopia became a staunch US ally, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over the years, and hosting the US military drones that patrol East Africa.