ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a regional strongman in the volatile Horn of Africa who ruled with an iron fist for over two decades, has died in hospital in Brussels after a long illness, officials said.

Meles, a former rebel who came to power in 1991 after toppling the bloody dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, set Ethiopia on a path of rapid growth and played a key role in mediating regional conflicts, but also drew criticism for cracking down on opponents and curtailing human rights.

Thousands of wailing Ethiopians turned out on Wednesday to greet the body of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as an official national mourning period began after his death in a Brussels hospital.

Meles died overnight Monday to Tuesday following a long illness. The 57-year-old had not been seen in public since the G20 summit in Mexico in June.

As his coffin arrived, his two daughters and widow Azeb Mesfin, dressed in black, walked ahead of a military band, Azeb wailing loudly. People carried candles and portraits of Meles, following a convoy of cars accompanying the body. US President Barack Obama led tributes to Meles, who he said deserved “recognition for his lifelong contribution to Ethiopia's development”, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed Meles's “exceptional leadership”.

Meles was a key western ally in a region home to Al Qaeda-linked groups.

But while world leaders praised his legacy, rights groups said his death offered a chance to end a brutal crackdown on basic freedoms.—AFP