Abiy Ahmed: From Nobel Peace Prize Winner to Instigator of War
Molly Whittington, Online Staff Writer
December 7, 2020
Abiy Ahmed Ali, 2020. Wikimedia Commons.
Abiy Ahmed Ali’s Nobel Peace Prize has been shrouded in the shadows of his recent instigation and escalation of violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Prime Minister won the award in 2019 for “ his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea", less than two years after his appointment to office. He was hailed as a protector of peace in East Africa, for ending a sixteen year period of unrest described as “no war no peace” upon assuming office.
Ahmed was seen as a new progressive chapter in Ethiopia. On top of his peace agreement with Eritrea, he abolished press censorship, absolved political prisoners and encouraged the empowerment of women. One conflict however, has dismantled Ahmed’s reputation as a peacemaker and human rights champion. His government’s conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is now endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians, and fears of a civil war in Ethiopia are becoming very real.
The TPLF has been a dominant party in Ethiopian politics, ruling in a coalition from 1991 until Mr. Abiy’s election. His appointment as Prime Minister represented a liberalisation of policies in Ethiopia, many of which had been demanded by the people for decades. The TPLF however, was critical of his leadership and many of his policies, arguing that he was attempting to centralise power in the country. Tension mounted in September when Prime Minister Ahmed postponed an election due to the COVID-19 crisis, but the party held its own election in the Tigray region. Abiy’s central government proclaimed the election as illegal and cut funding to the region. The leaders of the TPLF declared war against the Ethiopian administration. Both governments labeled one another as “illegitimate”.
Abiy Ahmed deployed the Ethiopian National Defence Forces to Tigray in early November after accusing the TPLF of attacking a military base. The government troops have been seizing cities in the Tigray region, but TPLF forces are not backing down. Since November there have been several violent clashes that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and has forced thousands of Tigryans to flee to Sudan. The full extent of the conflict is unknown because the government cut phone, mobile and internet service.
On November 26th, after giving the TPLF a seventy-two hour ultimatum to surrender, the Prime Minister launched an offensive on the city of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region. The warring in the city of 500,000 people has exacerbated concerns about the safety of civilians and human rights violations. Neighbouring countries, the United Nations, and Amnesty International have called on both parties to protect civilians and uphold human rights. The African Union has sent three envoys to encourage Mr. Ahmed to engage in mediation with Tigrayan leaders.
The Prime Minister’s angry and aggressive statements on Twitter represent an unwavering stance and unwillingness to participate in mediation. Abiy defended himself on Twitter, writing in a statement, “Concerns that Ethiopia will descend into chaos are unfounded… our rule of law enforcement operation, as a sovereign state with the capacity to manage its own internal affairs, will wrap up soon by ending the prevailing impunity”. While the Prime Minister has stated that he will work with the United Nations to ensure the safety of civilians, his forces have cut off transport links to the region, preventing access to food and water.
The Nobel Prize Committee defended its choice of Abiy last year as repressive actions by the Prime Minister were beginning to unfold. The Committee stated “No doubt some people will think this year’s prize is being awarded too early”. But it believed “it is now that Abiy Ahmed’s efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement.” The Nobel Prize Committee has not commented on the Prime Minister’s attacks on the TPLF.
While efforts for peace should be rewarded, and positively reinforced, the premature pronouncement of an international figure as a peacemaker is dangerous. Ethiopia may soon be in the throws of a civil war, brought there by this Nobel Prize winner himself. Abiy stated “War is the epitome of hell for all involved”, in his Nobel peace Prize acceptance speech. This statement implies that the Prime Minister understands the “hell” that he is putting civilians in his country through. Abiy’s journey from peace to war represents a complicated issue facing black and white conceptions of leaders as either peaceful or war prone. The Nobel Peace Prize has long been a symbol of leaders most committed to peace, but as Abiy’s actions prove, some peaceful undertakings do not annul a pursuit of violence.
International award committees such as the Nobel Committee should carefully consider the implications of their awards, and the ensuing expectations expected of award winners. Ahmed joins a growing list of questionable peace prize winners. Barack Obama won the award in 2009 despite his large expansion of the United States’ drone strike program and increased the American presence in Afghanistan. Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded in 1991 for her “nonviolent struggle for democracy”. However, she denied and defended Myanmar’s genocide of Rohingya Mulims.
A difficult balance must be struck between recognizing important efforts that improved the lives of millions of Ethiopians and Eritreans and restored some peace, while also recognizing the brutality that he is enacting both in his own country and in the surrounding region as refugees find shelter across East Africa.
In his first year in office, Ahmed was painted as a hero of peace and a “miracle” for Ethiopia.[21] His Nobel Peace Prize only reinforced this one-dimensional image as a peacemaker. His military attacks in the Tigray region, however, have proven that his domestic goal is power and control, no matter the human cost.