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The Ethiopian government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed is accused of Ethnic Cleansing and War Crime

MAY 23, 2022 6:06 AM EDT

In 2019, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his efforts to end his country’s decades-long conflict with neighboring Eritrea. Abiy’s peace treaty with Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki inspired hopes for a transformed region, but also planted the seeds for an Ethiopian civil war. In November 2020, Abiy, with Afwerki’s support, launched a military campaign against their shared enemy: leaders of the rebellious ­northern Tigray region that borders Eritrea.

The civil war, now in its 19th month, has become a byword for atrocities against Tigrayans: Abiy’s forces have been accused of massacres, sexual assault, and ethnic cleansing. Famine looms with millions impacted. In March, he declared a truce to allow humanitarian access to the region, which had been blocked for months. But like a previous “humanitarian truce” in June 2021, it appears to be largely strategic, and little real aid has arrived. Abiy has started calling Tigrayan rebels “weeds” in a rise in hate speech. African civil-­society groups are now pleading with the U.N. to act, lest Ethiopia devolve into ethnic cleansing reminiscent of Rwanda. In January, the Norwegian Nobel Committee in a rare move criticized Abiy, noting he has “a special responsibility to end the conflict and contribute to peace.”

Baker is a TIME senior correspondent

5 thoughts on “The Ethiopian government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed is accused of Ethnic Cleansing and War Crime”

  1. PM Abiy has a new award to his hardware collection. The only magazine that has never faulted in the history of mankind, Time Magazine, has just cited the PM as one of the world’s 100 most influential people for 2022. Congratulations to the PM for winning the coveted award and Aryn Baker for writing the piece on him!!! How come Kermit the frog and Bugs Bunny are not included in the list? These two have influenced billions of kids for more than 70 years. That is not fair. In any case, I will stick to my earlier statement that Time Magazine has never faulted! Never!!!

  2. Dear Zehabesha,
    If you are a publisher worth your salt, you need to indicate your news source here titled as “The Ethiopian government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed is accused of Ethnic Cleansing and War Crime.”

    The body of the article was indeed by Aryn Baker lifted off TIME. The additional crossed out TIME cover from a 2018 FB post and the title are meant to highlight your interests and not journalistic facts. It is your right to do deny yourself all credibility as a web magazine. Such editorial decisions on your part would most certainly cost you.

  3. Time Magazine and the Nobel Prize awarding committee are one of the myriads of tools that neo-colonial forces use for propaganda and promotion of prospective puppets or for the cooptation of leaders.

  4. What a desperate and irresponsible move by the Zehabesh to publish this baseless, hostile and sensational garbage!

    If you are a media working for the good of Ethiopia you do not disseminate such nasty and false accusations against the Ethiopian leader. Have you noticed how the entire mainstream media of the west are promoting the policy of their respective governments by publishing similar fake and misleading reports and above all ignoring the facts that support the Ethiopian side of the story?

  5. Once you are in the jaws of the western media you better find the right tool to ease their grinding bite otherwise you will be as good as dead meat. Many of you have been underestimating the diplomatic skills of Debre and his predecessors. They knew someday, sooner or later, the people of that country will throw them out of office. In my opinion they knew that the very day they decided to march all the way to Addis/Finfine. They did not sit back and wait until things start unfolding. They went to schools and placed their cream puff of the crop in every influential private institution in every country in the West. The media? They’re there. Powerful lobbyists? They have hired the best ones available. Campaign fund? They come with deep pockets filled with wealth pilfered from the national coffers of starving people. On the other hand what was the opposition doing? Some of these groups chose to run to Asmara looking for some gun bite to eat. Some others came here and Oceania to show off their speech skills bashing everyone they don’t like. They showed their high level skills in how to belittle and despise others. Debre and his group were busy making their outfit united and stronger while the opposition was breaking up in hundreds of miniscule and denuded groups. It is paying off big time for Debre and his group. They invested heavily for the rainy day and now they are reaping what they skillfully sowed for almost 3 decades. They may be unceremoniously gone from the capital but their influence still intact in the West and Oceania. Just look at what Mrs. Baker wrote about the PM. It is just a photocopy of Getachew Reda’s press briefing. Did she bemoan the crimes committed on the innocent civilians of Afar and Amhara regions by Debre’s soldiers with the same intensity? I have not noticed it. Is this what you can call an independent media? I am not sure. If this makes Time as such then I’m gonna get confused about the true/right definition of ‘independent’.

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