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Updated December 10th, 2019 at 20:27 IST

Militant groups, global powers threaten Horn of Africa: Ethiopia PM

Militants, global powers threaten the Horn of Africa said Nobel Peace laureate Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia in his speech at Oslo City Hall in Norway.

Reported by: Tanima Ray
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After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for forging a peace accord with Eritrea, Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on December 10 that the militant groups and global military powers both pose a threat to peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. His peacemaking efforts, which ended two decades of hostility with Ethiopia’s longtime enemy Eritrea, made Abiy win the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in October. Abiy praised the “goodwill” of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and described the two countries’ commitment to peace as “iron-clad” while addressing dignitaries at Oslo City Hall in Norway. The 43-year-old, who is the youngest politician, in the region also spoke of the dangers facing his region.

Read: Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi Told To 'stop The Genocide' By UN Court

Abiy speaks of horrors of war

Abiy said that the global military superpowers are expanding their military presence in the area. Terrorist and extremist groups also seek to establish a foothold, he added without specifying which countries or groups he had in mind. The Ethiopian Prime Minister added that he did not wish that the Horn of Africa turned into a battleground for superpowers nor a hideout for the merchants of terror and brokers of despair and misery. Abiy said he had witnessed the “ugliness of battle, its cruelty and what it can do to people” as the PM himself was a soldier during the 1998-2000 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. War is the epitome of hell for all involved, he quoted. He said he had seen brothers slaughtering brothers on the battlefield, older men, women, and children trembling in terror under the deadly shower of bullets and artillery shells.

Read: Pressured At Home, Ethiopia PM Picks Up Nobel Peace Prize

Reforms in Abiy's rule

The Nobel Laureate as a PM implemented political reforms that won him praise and also lifted the lid on long-repressed tensions between Ethiopia’s many ethnic groups. He said in his speech that he has laid the groundwork for genuine multi-party democracy, and will soon hold a free and fair election inferring to the Ethiopian elections scheduled for May 2020. The Prime Minister told that since he came to power in 2018, all political prisoners were released, detention facilities were shut and journalists have not been jailed. Yet critics say that his attempts are doomed, given that Ethiopia’s 105 million citizens belong to more than 80 ethnic groups. This year in October 86 people were killed during protests against the treatment of a prominent activist, while 409 people were detained over the unrest. In 2018, ethnic violence forced more than two million people from their homes and killed hundreds, the United Nations and monitoring groups say.

Read: Here's Why Kosovo Is Adamant On Boycotting The Nobel Peace Prize

(With inputs from agencies)

Read: 3 Nobel Winners Will Donate Prize Money To Support Research

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Published December 10th, 2019 at 20:07 IST

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