Daniel Mulugeta

Inserted 3 years ago

“There were a lot of problems before Abiy became prime minister, the major one being the government’s inability to deliver development promises. Abiy capitalised on that political playing field. He promised to heal the divisions in the country and to fight corruption and he emerged as a beacon of hope for all Ethiopians at the time. When it comes to the critical mass, he’s losing support. Abiy doesn’t seem to have a very clear policy agenda. He prefers quick, instant development projects that please his followers. He’s pragmatic. What you see in him is what you see in populist leaders like Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. The Tigray conflict is going to complicate the future of the country. The war is likely to augment Abiy’s power and create more polarisation in the country. My concern is that this could create a humanitarian catastrophe.”

Aljazeera

Expert on Ethiopia at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies