The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation”. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been praised for ending a 20 year military stalemate with bordering Eritrea, with his peace deal finally bringing closure to the border war of 1998-2000.
Set to receive the award in December of this year in Oslo, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will be the 100th winner since the establishment of the ceremonies. The award is worth around $900,000.
Speaking on the phone with the Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Olav Njølstad, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated:
It is a prize given to Africa, given to Ethiopia and I can imagine how the rest of Africa’s leaders will take it positively to work on [the] peace-building process on our continent.”
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Listen to the call between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Olav Njølstad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, recorded shortly after the announcement of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.#NobelPrizehttps://t.co/kZ9rRXBzIw— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 11, 2019
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister was elected in April of 2018, and has been praised for not only his peace deal with Eritrea, but also in supporting massive reforms within his own country as well. Freeing thousands of opposition activists from prison and allowing exiled dissidents and human rights activists to return back to Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has encouraged the country to open up to reform.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized his efforts in both domestic and international peace, stating that they hope this prize will help continue the peace process of the entire region:
The prize is also meant to recognize all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions. Peace does not arise from the actions of one party alone…the Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes the peace agreement will help to bring about positive change for the entire populations of Ethiopia and Eritrea.”
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of five different categories established by Alfred Nobel in 1901. The recipient of the Peace Prize is chosen by a five-member committee appointed by the Parliament of Norway. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will receive this award on the 10th of December in Oslo City Hall.
