African leaders unveil statue of last Ethiopian emperor

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – A statue of Ethiopian Emperor Haileselbadie was unveiled Sunday at the headquarters of the African Union.

This statue is the second to be erected in the offices of the continental body in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, after one of Ghana's first leaders, Kwame Nkrumah, who defended Pan-Africanism.

Several African leaders present at the African Union summit and members of the Emperor's family attended the unveiling ceremony of the statue.

The Ethiopians hailed the erection of the statue, the first on Ethiopian soil since the mysterious death of Haileselbadie at the age of 83 in 1975, when a military junta called the Derg overthrew the imperial dynasty that had existed in Ethiopia since 3,000 years.

Emperor Haileselbadie is one of the leading African leaders who founded the Organization of African Unity, which became the African Union. He oversaw the first meeting of the continental body in 1963.

Ethiopia has never been colonized and Haileselbadie is credited with helping a number of African countries gain independence.

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