Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist January 2019

AFRICA DIARY The Ethiopian leader has also worked to improve relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and smooth tensions with Egypt. 2002, thus totally breaking with the hard-line, intransigent policy of previous Ethiopian governments. The EEBC ruling was a part of a peace agreement with Eritrea that the two countries signed in 2000 to end their two-year war. While the ruling called for Ethiopia to hand over occupied territories, its refusal to implement the deal led to nearly two decades of conﬂ ict and tension between the two countries and general regional instability. Soon after Abiy’s bold announcement, in quick succession, a high-level Eritrean delegation would visit Ethiopia, and Ethiopia’s PM Abiy and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki visited each other’s capitals, eventually signing agreements that would end their countries’ long conﬂ ict and set the stage for peace and cooperation in several areas. Importantly, the breakthrough between Eritrea and Ethiopia has been allied by the emergence of peace and normalization across the entire Horn of Africa region. For example, soon after making peace with Ethiopia, Eritrea normalized ties with Somalia and Djibouti, with Abiy playing an important role. The Ethiopian leader has also worked to improve relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and smooth tensions with Egypt. In a visit to the latter upon President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s insistence, Abiy even swore before God that Ethiopia would not harm Egypt in their dispute over the Nile. Challenges While Abiy’s sweeping reforms have generally been applauded, both domestically and internationally, they have also faced some resistance and been accompanied by considerable challenges. For example, elements of the old guard in the military and intelligence services, especially from the historically dominant Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which long controlled the ruling EPRDF coalition, felt threatened by change and did not want to cede their vice- like grip on control. In June, Abiy escaped an assassination attempt during a public rally in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa. There have also been tensions with the military; about 250 oﬃ cers marched on Abiy’s oﬃ ce in October, dispersing after what state media said was a pay dispute was resolved. However, the government later said army “plotters” were being arrested, and Abiy told parliament that salary grievances were “only a cover story.” Additionally, Ethiopia has faced much ethnic-based violence. Although ethnic-based conﬂ icts have been common in Ethiopia, which is home to more than 80 ethnic groups, recent months have seen violence escalate at an alarming scale. Recently, authorities were probing a mass grave containing about 200 bodies dating from the bloodshed, while by mid-September, the number of the country's internally displaced people reached 2.8 million, up from 1.6 million at the beginning of the year, according to the UN. Unfortunately, at times, Abiy’s government has responded with undue force to protests, killing and illegally detaining youth and protestors, as well as turning oﬀ the internet during ﬂ ashes of unrest – a once-common tactic of the former regime to control dissenting voices. In September, thousands were arrested and at least 28 people died in Addis Ababa in violence involving youth groups and security forces that ﬂ ared when political leaders from the country’s south returned from overseas. Conclusion At this stage, it is much too early to conclude whether Abiy will succeed in his mission to transform Ethiopia. Thus far, results have been largely mixed, with both positive and negative aspects. However, should Abiy’s reforms succeed, the consequences will be felt not only in Ethiopia but across the entire Horn of Africa region. * Dr. Fikrejesus Amahazion received a BA from Saint Bonaventure University (New York). He graduated Summa Cum Laude and was the recipient of the university’s prestigious Thomas Augustine Award as a distinguished department graduate. Dr. Amahazion completed his MA and PhD at Emory University (Atlanta), where he also received the Graduate Certificate in Human Rights from Emory University’s Institute of Human Rights. Dr. Amahazion’s work focuses on human rights, political economy, and development, and his research has been published in a broad range of newspapers, magazines, books, and leading peer-reviewed academic journals. Currently, Dr. Amahazion is teaching and conducting research in East Africa. 12 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 1 • January 2019, Noida

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