The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who helped end his country’s 20-year war with Eritrea.
The award recognised Abiy’s “efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea”, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s chair.
Announcing the prize in Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Abiy’s “efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement”.
The conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea over disputed border territory came at a huge financial and humanitarian cost for both countries.
Abiy, 43, also recently won plaudits for his role in helping to broker a power-sharing deal in neighboring Sudan after a political crisis that led to the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, the country’s ruler for almost three decades.
Reiss-Andersen said Abiy – who has received both praise and criticism for his reforms in Ethiopia – has not been recognised too soon, but acknowledged that progress still needs to be made in the country.
