Abiy Ahmed sworn in as Ethiopian prime minister: Ex-army officer hopes reputation as reformer will help quell unrest

Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, apologised to people harmed in recent political unrest in the country, and reached out both to the political Opposition and longtime rival Eritrea at his swearing-in on Monday. Abiy was elected by Ethiopia’s Parliament, succeeding Hailemariam Desalegn who resigned in mid-February as a result of widespread protests that have taken the lives of several hundred people, mainly in the restive Oromia and Amhara regions. [caption id=“attachment_4415953” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Abiy Ahmed is sworn in as Ethiopia’s prime minister on Monday. AP[/caption] “This is a historic moment,” said Abiy in his inaugural address to Ethiopian lawmakers. “This is high time for us to learn from our past mistakes and make up for all the wrongs done in the past. We understand there are a lots of problems that need to be solved with great urgency.” Abiy is the first Oromo politician to become Ethiopia’s prime minister since the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front came to power in 1991. People in major towns across Oromia took to the streets Wednesday and slaughtered animals in celebration. It is hoped he will be able to bring an end to the protests that have been raging since late 2015 to press for wider political freedoms and the release of Opposition figures. The Oromo people, the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia’s 100 million people, have long felt marginalised both politically and economically. A former Lieutenant Colonel in the army and head of Ethiopia’s Science and Technology ministry, Abiy, 42, has a reputation as an effective orator and reformer. Abiy will be Ethiopia’s third prime minister since the former military junta, the Derg, was overthrown in 1991. ‘Brothers, not enemies’ While he made no mention of the emergency decree in his speech on Monday, Abiy reached out to the country’s Opposition politicians, many of whom were incarcerated during Hailemariam’s time. “We will not be seeing you as enemies, but be seeing you as brothers,” Abiy said. Unrest among the Oromos started in late 2015 over a government development plan they decried as unfair, and soon spread to the country’s second-largest ethnicity, the Amhara. The protests resulted in hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests and only stopped after Ethiopia was placed under emergency rule for 10 months from October 2016.

Referring to people who were hurt or jailed in the protests, Abiy said “I apologise from the bottom of my heart.”

Northern rival He also extended an olive branch to Ethiopia’s arch-rival Eritrea, a one-time province that declared independence in 1993. A two-year war broke out between the countries in 1998 over the demarcation of their shared border that killed tens of thousands. The dispute remains unresolved, and Ethiopia and Eritrea accuse each other of supporting anti-government groups. “For the common good of the two countries, not only for our benefit but for the two nations which are tied by blood, we are ready to solve our differences with discussion,” Abiy said. “We invite the Eritrean government to show the same sentiment.” After months of unrest Abiy’s elevation follows months of protests that left hundreds dead and the surprise decision by outgoing prime minister Hailemariam early in 2018 to release prominent politicians, journalists and others from prison to free up political space. But tensions continued and Hailemariam later announced his intention to resign, and a new state of emergency, the second in less than two years, was imposed in one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies. Earlier this week, a number of recently freed politicians and journalists were re-arrested and accused of gathering without authorities’ prior knowledge. More than 1,100 people are being held without trial under a state of emergency declared after Hailemariam’s resignation. They include dissidents who had been freed just months earlier in a mass prisoner amnesty ordered by Hailemariam. Last wek, Hailemariam urged the nation to support the ongoing reforms and “refrain from anti-peace activities and contribute your share for the ongoing democratization in the country,” the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported. With inputs from agencies