The last two and three years saw ethnic tension and conflict rise to new heights in Ethiopia. Although the recent Ethio-Somali – Oromo conflict comes to mind as the largest of these with over seven hundred thousand people displaced, there were conflicts and tensions in other regional states as well. The issue of ethnic identity has also increasingly become one of the major political issues across the country.
The emphasis on ethnic identity in place of national unity over the past 27 years pushed people into identifying and gradually focusing on their differences only. The room for strengthening common grounds and bolstering cultural exchange between ethnic groups was so small that identifying oneself as just an Ethiopian was unacceptable and an offense to the system. This emphasis on differences and the political and economic alignment along ethnic lines created a deep mistrust between people. After brewing for a long time, the problems finally erupted and engulfed the nation in the past three years.
Relations between the government and the people deteriorated gradually over the years as societal, political and economic demands of the people stood in stark contrast with the leadership of the state. Various immediate causes then triggered popular protests in various parts of the country. The situation got worse over the past couple of years as the protests became relentless.
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Hailmaiam Desalegn, though, the party chose a young progressive leader with quite different views on national and ethnic identity. The new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad (Ph.D.) acknowledged that the emphasis on differences divided the nation while the reality is that the forces of unity are still strong among the people of Ethiopia. That turned out to be the missing element from Ethiopian politics and he has enjoyed tremendous support from Ethiopians since his nomination by OPDO for the position of Prime Minister.
Since his election, the new PM has barely sat in the office as he paid major cities in the country a visit. He visited and held discussion sessions in Jigjiga, Ambo, Mekelle, Addis Ababa, Gondar, Bahir Dar, Hawassa and Assosa. He received warm reception in all those cities as the people consider him an agent of change.
The emphasis on ethnic identity has elevated people’s sense of race centered outlooks. Economic, social and political engagements have increasingly gone along ethnic lines. Especially with the onset of ethnic conflicts and tensions in various parts of the country, most believed that it would take a long time before Ethiopians could regain their unity – that is if they can regain it at all. Ethiopians were reduced to reminiscing the good old days when they lived along each other peacefully. Trust between individuals and ethnic groups fell to its record low in the past couple of years. It seemed like restoring the trust and confidence in each other was an impossible hill to climb.
Very recently, the people of Ethiopia have sensed that they might have heard someone talk the old fashioned way. He uses his words so they might not be interpreted arbitrarily but a certain way that almost all can understand. He seems to have a strong sense of ethics and justice and sounds truthful. His actions, along with his comrades, over the past year have revived the long lost sense of unity in the country. He had barely anytime to do anything concrete but people already feel convinced that he is the real deal.
Proving oneself with one’s actions takes a long time, especially if that action is normalizing a divided country under ethnic conflict and ensuring its development. It is, therefore, the sense of trust and belief that the person in charge is capable of trumping all the negatives and multiplying our positives that takes a short time. Through his simple and honest approach, the new PM has gained the trust of the entire nation. His allegiance to Ethiopian unity and the commonalities between ethnic groups has earned him acceptance across all corners of the country.
It is these relationships of trust and hope that form the basis of a united and strong society. OPDO had a hard time aligning the Oromo people behind it before the ascent to power of Lemma Megersa and Abiy Ahmad (Ph.D.). A large section of Oromos were believed to put their allegiance to OLF. As OLF is a secessionist party, its supporters believe that Oromia is under Ethiopia colonial rule and should, therefore, be an independent state. The current OPDO leaders, including Abiy Ahmad (Ph.D.), have come up with an argument that the Oromo people make up the stem in the tree of Ethiopia as they make up just less than half of the population. With the trust and acceptance they have gained over the past year, they have managed to sway the opinion of the Oromo people. In the process, they have managed to beat the strong allegiance to OLF and underscore the status of the Oromo as proud Ethiopians.
The new PM’s acceptance by people across the country has accordingly pushed the sense of unity in the country further within such a short time. Within a few months, Ethiopia is not a divided country with ethnic conflicts and tensions anymore. Things have improved quite rapidly and there seems to be a sense of regained trust among people. It is on top of this trust and unity that the quest for development can be built. By drawing Ethiopians together faster than anyone could have hoped, therefore, the new PM has put in place the foundation upon which he can build.
Once he covered Ethiopian cities, he went to Djibouti, the Sudan and Kenya. He even invited Eritrea to the round table in hopes of normalizing relations. He forged important agreements with Djibouti that considerably speed up the economic integration between the two countries. The two countries evaluated the ongoing projects that are instrumental to their integration such as railway, road, water, telecom, and power and discussed on improving logistics and port efficiency both in terms of cost and speed, partnering in the new port development.
During his visit to the Sudan, the PM agreed with Sudan to develop Port Sudan together. Accordingly, Ethiopia will be a shareholder of Port Sudan. Ethiopian prisoners in Sudan have also been release on the PM’s request. The two countries also agreed to use the town of Assosa as a commercial centre and build a railway connecting Addis Ababa with Khartoum. The new PM’s visit to Kenya also sought to strengthen integration, regional peace & security and multilateral cooperation.
It is also clear that he wants to build cooperation and trust with neighboring countries as well. With improved relations and moves towards integration with neighboring countries, the state of peace and security in Ethiopia is expected to gain a lot. Efforts towards economic development are also going to benefit a lot when neighboring countries are working for common growth.
Therefore, with the internal condition set along the track to unity and regional relations geared towards economic integration, the ground work over which the country’s development can be rested has been put in place. After all the trips he made, we can say that the new PM hit the ground running.