President Paul Kagame has arrived in Addis Ababa Ethiopia to attend Former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi funeral.
Meles state funeral on Sunday will be the first offered to a reigning head of state since the death of Empress Zawditu in 1930.
Ethiopia is said to have had a long line of leaders dying in secret, hidden behind closed doors, but not a long history of funerals.
“This is the first time for 82 years that Ethiopians have had an opportunity to show what they think about their ruler,” said Patrick Gilkes, an Ethiopia-based historian and author of “The Dying Lion,” which examines feudalism in Ethiopia.
The cloud of secrecy and gossip that has surrounded the deaths of several Ethiopian leaders stems from a desire to ensure a stable succession, according to analysts.
“If the death is announced there is the fear that it can provoke a lot of trouble because different people can ask for the throne,” said Estelle Sohier from the University of Geneva, author of a book on Menelik.
“To hide a death of a leader is a way to spare time, to save time, to settle the succession,” added Sohier.
Though Meles’ death was announced hours after he died in a Brussels hospital, the secrecy surrounding his illness led some to question whether the government was getting its house in order to ensure a smooth transition.
Days after Meles died, the government confirmed that deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will take over power until national elections in 2015.
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