(CNN) When the Norwegian Nobel Committee gives the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize medal to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday, celebrations will be undercut by many expressions of disappointment and outrage. Local and international voices criticizing his domestic record attracted considerable media attention, while some took to opinion pages to develop their arguments further.
But Abiy's domestic record was not why he was awarded the prestigious prize. According to the committee, he was chosen for "his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea," resulting in a peace deal they hope "will help to bring about positive change for the entire populations of Ethiopia and Eritrea."
Yet the impact of this "peace" in Eritrea has had little coverage. One needs to only look a little more deeply at the relationship between the Ethiopian leader and Eritrea to understand why the decision to award him the Nobel Peace Prize was wrong and makes a mockery of the Eritrean people's suffering.
The mainstream narrative around the peace agreement has been that the two countries had long been locked in "no peace-no-war" hostilities until Ethiopia got a fresh-faced and courageous leader who began the peace process expected to lead to positive change for the Horn of Africa. However, Abiy's decision to initiate peace talks with Eritrea was neither novel nor brave -- and he had no interest in improving the lot of the Eritrean population.
The 17-year conflict has been portrayed as one between Eritrea and Ethiopia when it instead should be viewed as one between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the then leader of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EFRDF) coalition Abiy now leads, and the Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki.
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