African papers look beyond Ethiopian premier’s death

However, the commentary also says Meles was “mostly responsible for the current stalemate” between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

“Regardless of the testimonies of his personal character, Meles was an important figure and his early departure is cause for concern for all of us who care about the Horn of Africa. It is very unlikely that Ethiopia would produce, in the short-term, a leader who can fill the big void left by Meles. He was a rare leader who was comfortable with big ideas and the nitty-gritty of political practice,” the writer concludes.

In the privately-owned Sudan Tribune, external website, a commentator wonders: “Will this be the time to talk peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea?”

“Now that Meles Zenawi has died there is an opportunity for the new leadership in Ethiopia to take this opportunity to bring peace and harmony to the whole region. Eritrea has never been the enemy of the Ethiopian people, and it would benefit the region to start a new chapter,” the writer says.

The commentary says that peace between the two neighbours would have a “domino affect” and create lasting peace in the region.

BBC Monitoring, externalselects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here