Thousands of mourners gathered near a public square in Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday to pay their final respects to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who was praised for lifting many out of poverty but vilified by some for restricting freedoms.

Meles, who ruled for 21 years, died Aug. 20 of an undisclosed illness in a Belgian hospital. He was 57. During his ruleEthiopiawas a strongU.S.ally on counter-terrorism issues, particularly in Somalia, and some saw him asAfrica’s intellectual leader in efforts to fight poverty.

Ethiopian officials said the state funeral inAddis Ababawas attended by hundreds of dignitaries from around the world, including several African leaders. In tributes read out at the funeral, regional leaders praised Meles’ record, saying he provided leadership to the whole ofAfrica. President Jacob Zuma of South Africa said Ethiopia had lost “a patriot and a visionary.”

“His was a life of immense courage, vision and enterprise which he devoted to the advancement” of Ethiopia and the rest of Africa, said Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

TheU.S.delegation was led by Susan Rice, the U.S.ambassador to the U.N., who described Meles as “unpretentious and direct.”

For most Ethiopians, the funeral was the culmination of two weeks of national mourning. Posters, pictures and quotes attributed to the late prime minister have been ubiquitous in nearly every street of the capital since the government announced Meles’ death.

After the funeral service in Meskel Squarea procession will carry Meles’ casket for burial at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where some of the country’s most illustrious people are interred.

Born on May 8, 1955, Meles became president in 1991 after helping to oust a Communist military junta that had been responsible for hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian deaths.

Meles became prime minister in 1995, a position that is both the head of the federal government and armed forces. TheU.S.saw Meles as a strong security partner and gave hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over the years.

U.S.military drones that patrol East Africa – especially over Somalia– are stationed inEthiopia. In the mid-2000s, the country saw strong economic growth, which won Meles international praise. The International Monetary fundin 2008 saidEthiopia’s economy had grown faster than any non-oil exporting country in sub-Saharan Africa.

But Ethiopiaunder Meles was criticized by human rights groups for the government’s strict control, especially of independent political groups and the press.

Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is currently acting as prime minister. It remains unclear when he will be sworn in, but Ethiopian officials say no elections are planned.

Hailemariam is a relatively young figure onEthiopia’s political scene. It is not clear if the old guard will allow him to keep the prime minister’s post in the long run.

“Our great leader Meles Zenawi has been the chief architect of our country’s renaissance, which has been assured by double-digit growth over the last eight years,” Hailemariam said at Meles’ funeral.

He said that the government’s policies would remain the same.

Source: (AP)