Ethiopia’s ruling party, the Prosperity Party, is holding a meeting. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the chairman of the party that he founded, announced it himself.
Details of why the party is meeting are undisclosed. However, Abiy Ahmed mentioned that the party will be discussing key national issues and agenda items for the party.
Details of why the party is meeting are undisclosed. However, Abiy Ahmed mentioned that the party will be discussing key issues.
He wrote on his social media page :
“This afternoon we have began Prosperity Party’s Executive Committee meeting to discuss key national as well as party agenda items.”
The party’s executive committee is said to have about 45 members.
The meeting came amid a rumor that Abiy Ahmed would be reshuffling his cabinet members. Sources from Ethiopia report that the party’s committee, which has a much higher number, is said to continue meeting once the executive committee is completed.
Six years ago, the now-defunct Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) elected Abiy Ahmed from within the party with the aim of undertaking a range of reform measures in response to widespread protests across the country. Broadening democratic space in the country, institutional reforms, good governance, and uniting the country by changing the narrative focused on ethnic differences and grievances were among the key agenda items for the party, which became the Prosperity Party after a year under the leadership of Abiy Ahmed.
As it turns out, ethnic violence in the country worsened under the watch of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The security situation deteriorated to the point that it became risky to travel by car anywhere outside of Addis Ababa. Kidnappings and politically motivated killings became common, especially in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.
Worse, Ethiopia found itself in a civil war as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) — a party that dominated power for nearly three decades — resisted the formation of the Prosperity Party under the leadership of Abiy Ahmed on alleged ideological grounds. The war is said to have claimed more than one million lives from the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions of Ethiopia. After the end of the war with the TPLF, Abiy Ahmed started a new conflict in the Amhara region, and the region is still under a state of emergency.
Economic hardship, rising inflation, squandering of public resources, and worsening corruption became the hallmarks of Abiy Ahmed’s administration.
Externally, Ethiopia is now facing a possible proxy war with Somalia over the memorandum of understanding it signed with Somaliland. Egypt and the Arab League are beating the drums of war. During a joint press conference with Somalian President Hassan Sheik in Cairo, the Egyptian president stated, “Do not test our patience,” and publicly declared support for Somalia in the event of war.
Additionally, the Egyptian president is pushing for war, while many other actors, including the United Nations, are calling for the two countries to resolve their differences through negotiation. Abiy Ahmed’s relationship with Eritrean leadership has also soured. Somalia and Eritrea are forging alliances, including in the military arena.
The Egyptian government has extended an invitation to Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki to visit Cairo to discuss the developments in the region and to “coordinate” a response.
