Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at the age of 57, after weeks of illness.

A government spokesman said Mr Meles had died in a hospital abroad – but did not say exactly where or give details of his ailment.

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

Ethiopia’s government said last month that Meles was taking a break to recover from an unspecified condition. Diplomats in Addis Ababa had said Meles was being treated in Brussels from an undisclosed illness, while others said he was in Germany.

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

“Prime Minister Zenawi suddenly passed away last night. Meles was recovering in a hospital overseas for the past two months but died of a sudden infection at 11:40,” state television said.

Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn would be the acting prime minister.

He won praise in the West for helping spur economic growth and for his army’s support against al Qaeda-linked militants in neighboring Somalia.

But he also has been accused of crushing dissent, using national security concerns as an excuse to silence opposition figures and journalists.

An accusation the government has dismissed.