Abiy Ahmed

Biography

Abiy Ahmed Ali was born on August 15, 1976, in Beshasha, Ethiopia. As a teenager, he joined rebel forces fighting against Mengistu Haile Mariam's military regime, taking part in the struggle that led to the fall of the Derg government in 1991. After the regime change, Abiy joined the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During the Badme War between Ethiopia and Eritrea from 1998 to 2000, he served as a military radio operator, gaining direct experience of the border conflict that would later play a role in his Nobel Prize-winning diplomatic efforts.

After his military service, Abiy pursued higher education at Addis Ababa University while advancing his career in government intelligence. He rose through the ranks of the Information Network Security Agency (INSA), formed in 2006, where he gained expertise in security and intelligence. His political career progressed when he was elected to the Ethiopian parliament in 2010, representing Agaro. This role allowed him to get involved in national politics while staying connected to the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

In 2018, after widespread protests and political unrest, Abiy was elected Prime Minister by the House of Peoples' Representatives following the EPRDF's dissolution. He quickly launched political reforms, releasing thousands of political prisoners and lifting bans on opposition groups. His most notable achievement was making peace with Eritrea, ending years of hostility and formally concluding the border war. This peace effort earned him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, making him the first Ethiopian to receive this honor.

Abiy's domestic plans focused on economic liberalization and political restructuring. He pursued large privatization of state-owned companies and opened previously closed sectors to private investment, including partial liberalization of Ethiopian Airlines. In 2019, he dissolved the EPRDF coalition that had run Ethiopia since 1991 and created the Prosperity Party as a unified national political group. However, his term has faced major challenges, including rising ethnic tensions and the Tigray War in 2020, which lasted two years and involved complex military engagements between federal forces, regional armies, and various armed groups.