When the news came on air that the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali was the recipient of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, some observers who have been following events in Ethiopia were not surprised. To some observers, it is a reward for hard work and sincerity as all efforts by Abiy, a politician and former army intelligence officer, to restore peace between his people and those of neighbouring countries have been recognised.
Since April 2, 2018, when Abiy Ahmed Ali was elected the fourth Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, he must have demonstrated either some or all the traits of a peacemaker. The traits of a peacemaker include but not limited to moral purity, peaceable, and open to reason. Others include impartial and sincere, full of mercy and good fruits, willing to be patient and the willingness to go the extra mile among others.
After election, Abiy, son of an Oromo father and an Ahmara mother, sprang into action as he launched a wide program of political and economic reforms in his country since he took over office as the Prime Minister. Importantly, he has worked assiduously to broker peace in Eritrea, South Sudan and has facilitated a transition agreement in the Republic of Sudan. Abiy was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding work in ending the 20-year post-war territorial stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
On the plus side, Abiy has tried to be a unifier since he took over the mantle of leadership in the most prestigious office of the prime minister last year. A democrat who has promised his people democracy, reforms and reconciliation in a country that has been oppressed for a long time. It is no surprise that the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Prize, the world’s most prestigious award for those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
In awarding the Nobel Peace prize to Abiy Ahmed, the committee has also continued to focus on African peacemakers in which five of the last 15 laureates are Africans including Abiy Ahmed. Ahmed therefore joins Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege (2018), the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (2015) and the Liberian peace activists and politicians Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee (2011).
Ahmed is certainly eminently qualified to receive the award while most Africans and our partners in the international community see him as an embodiment of hope. He is a hopeful figure in a continent where some heads of states and governments have made it a culture of extending constitutional term limits instead of embarking on bold economic and political reforms. However, the prize not only acknowledges the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s commitment to peace, but encourages him to do more, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
In the nomination letter, a member of the Nobel Committee has this to say: “By saving a nation of 108 million people from the precipice of an economic and political explosion, he captured the imagination of his own people and people across the African continent as an embodiment of hope….and his messages of peace, tolerance, and love and understanding are being felt far beyond Ethiopia.”
It is on record that the new Prime Minister had surprised Ethiopians by taking bold steps that were thought impossible. For instance, he is acknowledged to have opened up the political space, released thousands of political prisoners, invited members of political groups previously designated as “terrorists organisations” back home, lifted the state of emergency, removed from office intelligence and army officers seen as complicit in the oppressive practices of the previous regime, sealed a peace deal with Eritrea, appointed a gender-balanced cabinet alongside many other progressive steps.
On the plus side, Abiy has tried to be a unifier since he took over the mantle of leadership in the most prestigious office of the prime minister last year. A democrat who has promised his people democracy, reforms and reconciliation in a country that has been oppressed for a long time
Together with other initiatives like the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, high profile awards like this might indeed shape the culture of leadership in Africa to a reasonable extent. So, there is still hope. Some critics however, believe that the award bestowed on Ahmed is too early. While Ahmed’s political vigour and rhetoric have been impressive, he has only been in office for barely one year. No one knows if his initiatives will stand the test of time, the critics argued.
Although, the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has ended, much of the announced and expected economic peace dividend has yet to materialise because the land borders remain closed, according to Abiy’s critics. The views of critics notwithstanding, members of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee stated that Abiy was decorated with the prestigious award to enable him do more for his people and the entire Horn of Africa.
Ultimately, Abiy will be judged by his ability to bring sustainable peace to and democracy to Ethiopia. Indeed, this will be his greatest challenge and how he manages Ethiopia’s democratic transition will define his legacy more than anything else. Why? Change is slow and hard to achieve. The task of constructing a new society which is different from the old one is daunting. This is particularly so in a society that is diverse and divided.
While Ethiopia’s destiny in the near future will be tied to the destiny of neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa, Abiy’s legacy will be determined largely by his successes and failures at home. If Abiy realised how his legacy can change the course of actions that will bring about political settlement and national reconciliation in Ethiopia, then he needs to ask himself one question: How do I want to be remembered? Thinking about his legacy early will shape the conduct of his affairs in office.
I think Abiy has time to make a change. With the Nobel Peace Prize, he has a new momentum and renewed national and international goodwill. Abiy should use this opportunity to reach out to friends and foes to move Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa forward. In the final analysis, it pays to be a peacemaker.
