OSLO, FRIDAY — The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali said on Friday (11/10/2019) that he hoped the prize would inspire and encourage all leaders in Africa to strive for achieving peace on the continent.
In its official statement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said that Abiy deserved the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation. The award for Abiy was especially for his decisive initiative in resolving Ethiopia’s border conflict with neighboring Eritrea. The prize is also meant to recognize all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the eastern and northeastern African regions.
“I was so humbled and thrilled when I just heard the news,” Abiy told the Nobel Committee over the phone, as quoted by the Nobel Prize website just moments after the announcement. “This is a prize given to Africa, given to Ethiopia.”
Abiy also conveyed his huge hope that the prize would have a wide-ranging impact on Africa. He said that he hoped the Nobel Peace Prize would encourage other African leaders to achieve peace for the continent.
State leaders in Africa congratulated Abiy and responded positively to the award’s meaning for Africa. Liberian President George Weah called it a “noble feat”. Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo called the award “a reminder to us all that peace is one of the most critical ingredients needed to make Africa successful”. Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said that Abiy deserved to win the prize.
Kompas
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (R) meets members of Sudan\'s opposition alliance to mediate in its political crisis at the Ethiopian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, June 7, 2019.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that Abiy had created hope in a region of Africa that for too long had been characterized by violence, conflict and poverty, although much remains to be done.
According to Solberg, Abiy has contributed to a more peaceful relationship between the countries on the Horn of Africa.
Ending deadlock
When he was inaugurated as Ethiopian Prime Minister in April 2018, Abiy reaffirmed his pledge to continue the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace talks. In close cooperation with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Abiy quickly came up with the principles of a peace agreement to end the deadlock between the two countries that had endured for more than two decades.
The principles were then included in declarations that Abiy and Afwerki signed in Asmara and in Jeddah in July and September this year. An important element in the breakthrough was Abiy’s willingness to accept a 2002 arbitration ruling by the international border commission.
Abiy was then involved in other peace and reconciliation processes in eastern Africa. Domestically, Abiy launched important reforms to bring a new hope and a better future for his people. (AP/AFP/REUTERS/BEN)
