Abiy Ahmed: Africa’s Rising Star Faces Trouble at Home

In a time of increasing tensions around the world, the Nobel Peace Prize is a much-needed relief, a symbol of restoration amid the turmoil. However, the choice for this year’s award, Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, is not without controversy. Ahmed deserves credit for his role in creating peace between Ethiopia and its neighbor Eritrea but faces considerable domestic challenges like ethnic violence that undercuts his sterling record.
Ahmed, who serves as the youngest head of state on the continent, has been regarded as a rising star in the world of African politics, leading an impoverished Ethiopia into the international community through sweeping political, economic, and regional reforms. Yet his work to dismantle the remnants of Ethiopia’s corrupt, authoritarian state has not come without its hurdles, as ethnic violence and political infighting have broken out in reaction to his efforts. While the Nobel Prize rewards Ahmed for taking a step in the right direction, much about his country’s future remains undetermined, as various domestic factions clash for control.
Ahmed’s background is vital in understanding his rise to power and his championship of reforms that have made Ethiopia almost unrecognizable. Due to his youth and being the first Oromo president — the nation’s largest ethnic group — Ahmed has gathered the support of fellow Oromos and youth from across Ethiopia. His political moderation and knack for negotiation made him a rising star in the ruling coalition, which is made up of four large ethnic groups across the country. With qualifications like being able to speak three Ethiopian languages and holding various political offices before his run as PM, Ahmed has become a rallying point for many young Ethiopians who hope to see their country opened up the rest of the world.
In his first six months at the helm, Ahmed freed thousands of political dissidents, including high-profile opposition leaders, opening the taps on long-repressed political expression. He has privatized large sections of bloated public industries, and welcomed foreign investment to reinvigorate once prosperous agricultural production. Additionally, in a region infamous for its gender-based violence, the young PM has appointed female MPs to half of his ministerial posts and has striven to work cooperatively with Sahle-Work Zewde, Ethiopia’s first female president.
The most notable of Ahmed’s achievements so far, the one which earned him the Nobel Prize this year, was his role in negotiating an absolute peace with neighboring Eritrea. The conflict, which saw a combined 100,000 mostly civilian casualties over a slip of desert, had come to symbolize Ethiopia’s ineffective governance. This peace process has elevated Ahmed’s diplomatic standing, allowing him to play an active role in normalizing relations with once foes Eritrea, and to act as a key negotiator in the recent turmoil in Sudan.
But Ahmed’s emergence as a leader has not been without its obstacles. He narrowly missed an assassination attempt in 2018 and was even publicly confronted by members of the military dissatisfied with their service conditions. Recently released political prisoners have accused him of failing to make meaningful reforms, including the promotion of political representation of opposition parties. Ethnic violence in Ethiopia’s capital and its neighboring regions have turned deadly, with opposition activists equating Ahmed’s rule with those of Ethiopia’s prior corrupt leaders. The reemergence of ethnic violence, a common issue amongst many African states, is sure to hamper the progress Ahmed and his new government, slowing the implementation of the economic development that would lift his people out of poverty.
The next few months will be crucial for Ahmed in setting a precedent for responsible, effective governance in a region that needs it.
