Nobel body criticizes Abiy Ahmed

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious Peace Prize, on Thursday issued a very rare admonition to the 2019 winner, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, over the war and humanitarian crisis in his country’s Tigray region.

“As prime minister and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Abiy Ahmed has a special responsibility to end the conflict and contribute to peace,” the Oslobased committee said in a statement.

Abiy Ahmed won the prize, in part, for making peace with neighboring Eritrea after one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts. The committee said that “it must be emphasized that Abiy Ahmed’s prize was awarded on the basis of his efforts and the justifiable expectations that existed in 2019.”

In November 2020, Abiy Ahmed’s government allowed Eritrean forces into Tigray as they pursued the Tigray leaders after political tensions erupted into war. Thousands of people have been killed, hundreds of thousands now face famine as Ethiopia’s government has kept almost all food and medical aid from Tigray since June.