President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday joined other world leaders in mourning the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

State House statement said President Kikwete had received news of Mr Meles’ death with “profound shock and sadness”, and sent his condolences to Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis.

“Tanzania has received with profound shock and sadness news of the death of His Excellency Meles Zenawi, which occurred last night.

“On behalf of the people of Tanzania, my government and myself, I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the late leader’s widow, Honourable Azeb Mesfin, and the entire family of His Excellency Meles Zenawi. We are with you in mourning the death,” President Kikwete said in his message.

He said Ethiopia had lost a dedicated, revolutionary and visionary leader, while Africa has lost a reliable spokesperson, adding that the late Meles would be remembered for the steadfastness in defending the interests of Africa and its peoples.

His death at age 57 leaves a major power gap in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has played a key role in the fortunes of many of its neighbours, as well as host to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said Meles “demonstrated his strong personal commitment over many years to improving the lives of not just his own but all African peoples, through his work on African unity, climate change, development and in promoting peace and stability, particularly in the Horn of Africa.”

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called Meles a “pragmatic and visionary” leader who helped stabilise his country and placed it on the path of economic growth, adding that his death is a “devastating loss”

“On behalf of the government and the people of Kenya, I convey our deepest sympathies,” Kibaki said in a statement, adding that Meles’ leadership and negotiation skills would “forever be missed across the region and Africa.”

Meles played a key part in brokering peace efforts between newly independent South Sudan and its former civil war foe Sudan, a role praised by South Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

“He was one person who could say in black and white what the position of both countries was -- and was respected by both,” Benjamin said. “To South Sudan it is a sad story.

He was great, not only in our strategic relations between South Sudan and Ethiopia, but also as chairperson of the African Union, tasked with finding peace between Sudan and the newly independent South,” he said.

Uganda was “shocked and saddened” by the death of Meles, said Asuman Kiyingi, state minister for regional cooperation, adding it was a “big loss for the whole of Africa”.

“He has been so instrumental in finding solutions to African problems,” Kiyingi told AFP, noting Meles’ support for African Union forces battling Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab insurgents in Somalia.

British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed Meles “as an inspirational spokesman for Africa on global issues”, who had “provided leadership and vision on Somalia and Sudan.”

“His personal contribution to Ethiopia’s development, in particular by lifting millions of Ethiopians out of poverty, has set an example for the region,” he added.South African President Jacob Zuma praised Meles as “a strong leader, not only for his country but on the African continent.”

Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will take over interim power following Meles’ death, the government spokesman told reporters yesterday.

Additional reporting by AFP