‘Blessed are the Peacemakers….’

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Oliver Wendell Holmes

There is no gainsaying the fact that to live a peaceful and harmonious life in this conflict-ridden, selfish and self-centered world of ours there is a vital need for each one of us to be peacemakers and harmonisers and with this in mind, we focus today on the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 43-year-old Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. 

He was selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee as this year’s recipient 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 prize also recognises all the stakeholders working towards peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions.  

When Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in April 2018, he made it clear that he wished to resume peace talks with Eritrea. In close cooperation with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki; Abiy Ahmed worked out the principles of a peace agreement to end the longstanding “no peace, no war” stalemate between the two countries. These principles are set out in the declarations that Prime Minister Aiby and President Afwerki signed in Asmara and Jeddah last year. An important premise for the breakthrough was Abiy Ahmed’s unconditional willingness to accept the arbitration ruling of an international boundary commission in 2002, the Nobel Committee said.  

It says peace does not arise from the actions of one party alone. When Prime Minister Abiy reached out his hand, President Afwerki grasped it and helped to formalise the peace process between the two countries. The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes the peace agreement will help bring positive change for the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea.  

Even if much work remains in Ethopia, the Prime Minister has initiated important reforms that give many citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future. He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalising outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life while also pledging to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections.

The Nobel Committee said in the wake of the peace process with Eritrea, Prime Minister Abiy has engaged in other peace and reconciliation processes in East and Northeast Africa. In September 2018 he and his government contributed actively to the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Djibouti after many years of political hostility and sought to mediate between Kenya and Somalia in their protracted conflict over rights to a disputed marine area with now hope for a resolution to this conflict. In Sudan, the military regime and the opposition have returned to the negotiating table. On August 17, they released a joint draft of a new constitution intended to secure a peaceful transition to civil rule in the country. 

Ethiopia is a country of many different languages and peoples. Lately, old ethnic rivalries had flared up. According to international observers, up to three million Ethiopians may be internally displaced. That is in addition to the million or so refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries. However, many challenges remain unresolved. Ethnic strife continues to escalate, and we have seen troubling examples of this in recent weeks and months. No doubt some people will think this year’s prize is being awarded too early but the Norwegian Nobel Committee believes it is now that Abiy Ahmed’s efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement.  

The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes that the Nobel Peace Prize will strengthen Prime Minister Abiy in his important work for peace and reconciliation. It says a peaceful, stable and successful Ethiopia will have many positive side-effects, and will help to strengthen fraternity among nations and peoples in the region. With the provisions of Alfred Nobel’s will firmly in mind, the Norwegian Nobel Committee sees Abiy Ahmed as the person who in the preceding year has done the most to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019.  

On the threshold of Sri Lanka’s presidential election Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s efforts to bring peace and reconciliation is a wake-up call to Sri Lanka’s new President elected to office on November 16.   

‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God,’ Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.