Welcome and Introduction:

STEPHANIE FENKART, Director of the IIP

Panelists:

Dr. SONJA JOHN, Free lecturer at the Centre for Peace Research and Peace Education / Department of Educational Science, University of Klagenfurt

Moderation:

HANNES SWOBODA, President of the International Institute for Peace (IIP), former MEP

Content:

In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his attempts to pacify the country and the Horn of Africa. Yet, in November 2020 he deployed military forces to control a conflict in the Tigray Region. Did the Nobel Peace laureate turn into a war monger? Why did he not practice the reconciliation, brotherhood and unity he preached?

These questions will be approached from two angles. First, this talk addresses Abiy Ahmed’s reconciliation and peace-building approach of Medemer. How did he want to create synergy to reach the goal of unity, peace and prosperity in the poor and multi-ethnic country? And does the idea work in practice? Second, to answer the latter question, the talk focuses on the Welkait conflict in Western Tigray – arguably the most suppressed identity question in modern Ethiopian history. People questioning whether Welkait should be in Tigray or rather part of Amhara Region were incarcerated, tortured or killed. After he was appointed Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed promised to solve the question democratically. Now, through the military engagement, the regional borders are being redrawn. People are fleeing from Tigray to Sudan. Is this the end of Abiy Ahmed’s peace and reconciliation process – or the beginning?

Picture: Rod Waddington