Ethiopians mourn strongman ruler Meles, dead at 57


A woman wails while lifting a portrait of Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as she waits for the arrival of his remains in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa August 21, 2012. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Thousands of Ethiopians descended on the centre of the capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday to mourn Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, their firm-handed ruler of more than two decades, whose body was flown home after his death in a Brussels hospital at 57.

Supporters mourned him as the saviour of a long-suffering nation and Washington praised its ally, but opponents hailed the death of an autocrat one group described as a "genocidal tyrant". Traffic was congested from the airport to his residence, where his body was to be put on display.

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