Nobel Prize-winning PM in bloody Ethiopian crackdown

HE was hailed as Ethiopia’s “saviour” for bringing the country peace, picking up the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

But Abiy Ahmed, the country’s liberal prime minister and Africa’s youngest leader, is at risk of losing his shine with a crackdown on dissent.

Opposition figures and critics of the 43-year-old leader have been imprisoned, and rights groups warned that the dream of a liberal Ethiopia was quickly evaporating.

For much of its history, Ethiopia has been ruled by dictatorial governments that have kept the East African nation one of the poorest on earth.

In 2018, Mr Abiy was appointed as prime minister and introduced a series of reforms. Thousands of political prisoners were freed and exiled activists and journalists urged to return home.

Mr Abiy talked about opening up the economy and made plans for free and fair elections. Then in 2019, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for ending two decades of conflict with Eritrea, which left around 80,000 people dead.

However, the government is struggling to contain a series of ethnic clashes, which are destabilising large parts of the country. Over the past few years, there have been reports of abuse by state security forces in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, fuelling resentment among the Oromo, the country’s largest ethnic group. Ethiopian forces have been fighting a bloody counter-insurgency campaign against armed Oromo Liberation Army rebels in the west since early 2019. Security forces have been accused of murder and rape, according to Amnesty International.

On June 29, the mounting tension came to a head when Hachalu Hundessa, a famous singer and rights activist for the Oromo, was shot dead in Addis Ababa, the capital.

Weeks of protests, lawlessness and looting followed, leading to an army crackdown and more violence which left 239 people dead, according to the government. At least 7,000 people have been arrested, including Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba, two of the most influential dissident voices.

“The prosecution is alleging they were behind the unrest and involved in a failed plot to assassinate government officials,” their lawyer said.

The arrests have put Mr Abiy at odds with the Oromo, who initially formed the bulk of his support base. “The administration needs to show that they are tolerant of criticism,” said Laetitia Bader from Human Rights Watch.

The government insists it is enforcing the law. “To engage in criminal activities and hide behind the curtain of being ‘government critics’ is a threat to the duties of government in maintaining the rule of law,” said Billene Seyoum, the leader’s press secretary.