Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

Riyaz Patel

The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been bestowed on Abiy Ahmed Ali, the 43-year-old Ethiopian Prime Minister who helped end his country’s 20-year war with Eritrea.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Ali was chosen “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.”

The conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea over disputed border territory came at a huge financial and humanitarian cost for both countries.

Ali also recently drew plaudits for his role in helping to broker a power-sharing deal in neighboring Sudan after a political crisis that followed the ousting of Omar al-Bashir, the country’s ruler for almost three decades.

“As Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali has sought to promote reconciliation, solidarity and social justice,” said Reiss-Andersen in Oslo.

“Some