Thirty years after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, there has hardly been any meaningful development in this small nation in the Horn of Africa. On the contrary, the government’s authoritarian policies have undermined democracy and forced young people to flee the country.
The Oromo Liberation Front leadership views Kenya as an important player and believes that peace will come sooner if Kenya steers the talks between the Oromo and Ethiopia.
The countries involved in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are three of the largest in Africa and they could all benefit from coordinated action instead of belligerence and a zero-sum game.
The imminent and existential danger to Ethiopia is not Abiy Ahmed and an oppressive government. It is violent ethno-nationalism.
Ayana Ayantu unpackages recent events in Ethiopia and explores the history and prospects for Ethiopia under PM Abiy Ahmed. She discusses the history of internal colonisation in Ethiopia that continues to be worked out to this day.
The centrality of affordable, available, variety of food to the peace infrastructure of the horn of Africa cannot be underestimated. And as food expert Guled Ahmed clarifies the regional governments have to prioritize the political and economic aspects of food security to guarantee the stability of their respective nations.
The Horn is at strategic crossroads. There is immense hope but also great fear. How Ethiopia and Sudan manage their fraught transitions and the prospects for success and reversal remain unknown. What is not in doubt is that a botched transition in both nations will crush the dreams of millions and their quest for liberty and a better quality of life. It will also embolden autocratic regimes and vindicate their ideology of stability.