Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali Wins 2019 Nobel Peace Prize

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali has won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. The prize was awarded to him for “his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.

In addition,  the prize recognises “all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions.”

The Achievements Of Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali

From 1998-2000, Eritrea and Ethiopia were at war over border conflicts. Based on a ruling by an international court, Eritrea triggered the war by invading Ethiopia.

By the end of the war, Ethiopia held all of the disputed territories and also advanced into Eritrea. They suffered large casualties and spent millions of dollars on the war. Clearly, this move would further weaken the economy of the two countries which are among the poorest in the world. The conflict would go on into 2018. So, Eritrea and Ethiopia conflicted for 20 years.

However, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali came into power in April 2018, he initiated the Peace talks again with Eritrea. The Nobel prize committee noted that “In close cooperation with Isaias Afwerki, the President of Eritrea, Abiy Ahmed quickly worked out the principles of a peace agreement to end the long “no peace, no war” stalemate between the two countries.”

Also, they noted that for peace to arise, it involves a community of willing people. The President of Eritrea was willing to work with the Prime Minister and bring peace to their countries.

What does the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Win Mean For The PM?

Photo credit: ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER/AFP/Getty Images)

The Prime minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, has initiated great reforms in his country since he resumed office. According to the press release,

He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalising 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.

The committee hopes that  the Nobel Peace Prize will “strengthen Prime Minister Abiy in his important work for peace and reconciliation.”

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Source: Nobel Prize, Wiki, BBC