Ethiopia PM gets Noble Peace Prize

The Nobel Committee announced in October it was honoring Abiy for his efforts to resolve the long-running conflict with neighboring foe Eritrea

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will collect his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Tuesday, but as ethnic violence rises at home, he has kept festivities to a minimum and refused media requests.

Hailed as a modern, reformist leader, Ahmed’s decision to skip all events with the press has dismayed his Norwegian hosts.

Africa’s youngest leader at just 43, he is to receive the prestigious award at a ceremony in Oslo’s City Hall at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT), attended by the royal family and Norwegian public figures.

The Nobel Committee announced in October it was honoring Abiy for his efforts to resolve the long-running conflict with neighboring foe Eritrea.

On 9 July 2018, following a historic meeting in Eritrea’s capital Asmara, Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki formally ended a 20-year-old stalemate between their countries in the wake of the 1998-2000 border conflict.

That was just three months after Abiy took office. During the whip-fast rapprochement that followed, embassies reopened, flights resumed and meetings were held across the region.

Abiy’s actions sparked optimism on a continent marred by violence, and he went on to play an important mediation role in the Sudan crisis and attempted to revive a fragile peace deal in South Sudan.

In stark contrast to his authoritarian predecessors, the early days of his mandate also saw a wave of democracy-boosting measures in Ethiopia, as he lifted the state of emergency, released dissidents from jail, apologized for state brutality and welcomed home exiled armed groups.