Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed wins Nobel Peace Prize at a risky time for his democratic reforms

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Africa’s youngest leader, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his democratic reforms at home and his diplomatic efforts to bring peace to one of the world’s most volatile regions.

But with a crucial election looming and ethnic violence still forcing millions of Ethiopians to flee their homes, the Nobel committee admitted that some critics will believe it awarded the Peace Prize “too early.”

The efforts of the 43-year-old Prime Minister deserve to be recognized, but they also “need encouragement” at a time when “old ethnic rivalries have flared up,” the Nobel committee said on Friday as it announced the award.

“As prime minister, Abiy Ahmed has sought to promote reconciliation, solidarity and social justice,” the committee said. “However, many challenges remain unresolved …. Ethnic strife continues to escalate, and we have seen troubling examples of this in recent weeks and months.”

The committee also expressed hope that Mr. Abiy’s diplomatic work would bring “positive change” for the people of neighbouring Eritrea – one of the world’s most repressive and isolated countries.

Human rights groups welcomed the award, and refugee advocates praised Ethiopia for hosting more than 900,000 refugees from war-torn countries. But they also warned that Mr. Abiy needs to do much more to defuse Ethiopia’s ethnic conflicts and to liberate his country from repressive laws.

After widespread allegations of intimidation and vote-rigging in Ethiopia’s previous elections over the past two decades, a much-anticipated national election next May will be crucial in determining whether Mr. Abiy’s democratic reforms are genuine or reversible.

His diplomatic achievements, too, are still fragile, and his peace initiatives with Eritrea and other neighbouring countries are still at an early stage. Ethiopia’s border with Eritrea was reopened last year as part of the peace talks, and then was abruptly closed a few months later. But there is little doubt that his reforms have brought more hope to the Horn of Africa than any other development in recent years.

With about 100-million people, Ethiopia is the second-most populous country in Africa and a key power in shaping the future of the Horn of Africa and East Africa, where wars have erupted for decades.

After winning power as prime minister in April 2018, Mr. Abiy stunned the region by flying to Eritrea to resolve a border dispute that had stoked violent conflict between the two countries since the 1990s. A border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea killed tens of thousands of people from 1998 to 2000 and the dispute continued to fuel tensions and sporadic clashes until last year, when Mr. Abiy agreed to an international arbitration ruling that Ethiopia had previously refused to accept.

The Nobel committee also noted that Mr. Abiy has been a key diplomatic mediator in a range of disputes in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, including the battle between pro-democracy protesters and military rulers in Sudan and the Kenya-Somalia and Eritrea-Djibouti tensions.

At home, he has made sweeping changes to a long-repressive government. “Even if much work remains, Abiy Ahmed has initiated important reforms that give many citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future,” the committee said.

“He spent the first 100 days as prime minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalizing outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life. He has also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections.”

Mr. Abiy, speaking by telephone to the Nobel committee on Friday afternoon, said “so humbled and thrilled” and “so happy” when he heard the news. On his Twitter account later, he said: “This award is for Ethiopia and the African continent. We shall prosper in peace!”

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres, reacting to the Nobel announcement, said Mr. Abiy is one of the main reasons for the “winds of hope” that are “blowing ever stronger across Africa.” His leadership has helped others to “overcome resistance from the past and put people first,” Mr. Guterres said.

Amnesty International praised Mr. Abiy for his human rights achievements “after decades of widespread repression” in Ethiopia. But his work is “far from done,” it said.

“This award should push and motivate him to tackle the outstanding human rights challenges that threaten to reverse the gains made so far,” said a statement by Kumi Naidoo, secretary-general of Amnesty International.

“He must urgently ensure that his government addresses the ongoing ethnic tensions that threaten instability and further human rights abuses.”

The Norwegian Refugee Council, which operates in both Ethiopia and Eritrea, welcomed the Nobel announcement and lauded Mr. Abiy for bringing a “dramatic improvement” in relations between the two countries.

But the council noted that about 2.3-million Ethiopians have been forced to leave their homes, mostly due to the ethnic violence in the country. The Prime Minister “must continue to be brave and work to resolve ethnic tensions through peaceful means,” said Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the council.

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