The Ethiopian laureate is surely a reformer, but he predominantly garners recognition beyond his country's borders. Despite the Nobel committee's well-meaning intentions, it is the wrong choice, writes Ludger Schadomsky.
Of course, Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to a lesser extent because of his "important reforms" in the domestic domain but explicitly because of his efforts regarding a lasting peace with Ethiopia's archrival Eritrea — the two countries were involved in a border war from 1998 to 2000, which led to heavy losses on both sides. And wasn't it a very moving scene indeed in July 2018 when, Abiy made it possible for family members separated for two decades to embrace each other again?
Those peace efforts, however, have come to a standstill; they may even have stopped completely. True, family members and businesspeople are now able to commute via 50-minute flights between the two respective capitals, Addis Ababa and Asmara. But this is the privilege of only a small elite. Border crossings such as Zalambessa, which are much more important when it comes to public transportation and movement of goods and which were opened with a lot of fanfare, have all been closed again in the meantime — at Eritrea's instigation, Ethiopia was quick to point out. The initial shuttle diplomacy pursued by Abiy and Eritrea's autocratic ruler Isaias Afewerki has come to a halt. The Eritrean embassy in Addis Ababa continues to remain boarded up while grandiose business contracts that were signed have never been brought to life. By now, both countries have rather resorted to forging unholy strategic alliances with countries located beyond the Red Sea, in accordance with that age-old motto that Horn of Africa nations ascribe to: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-nobel-pea ... a-50799722
...the G-word? or are you spicing things up??
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