Nobel Peace Prize 2019: Abiy Ahmed Ali and the Ethiopia-Eritrea Peace Deal

This note covers the Nobel Peace Prize 2019: who won it, the background to the Ethiopia-Eritrea border dispute, what Abiy Ahmed Ali did to end it, the reforms he carried out inside Ethiopia, his wider peace efforts in the Horn of Africa, how the story unfolded, why the Norwegian Nobel Committee's choice mattered and still matters, and quick facts for exams.

What was the Nobel Peace Prize 2019 awarded for?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize "for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea". This single sentence is the official citation, and every other fact in this note explains what lies behind it.

In plain words, the committee was praising one man, Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for breaking a long deadlock with the neighbouring country of Eritrea and for trying to spread that spirit of peacemaking across a troubled region.

The citation has two parts: a general one about "peace and international cooperation", and a specific one naming the Eritrea border settlement as the clearest, most decisive achievement.

The prize's full official name is the Nobel Peace Prize, one of the five prizes created under the will of the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel and administered through the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, unlike the other Nobel prizes which are decided in Sweden.

The 2019 prize was announced on 11 October 2019 and was awarded in full to a single person, so Abiy Ahmed received the whole prize, not a shared portion.

Who is the laureate?

Abiy Ahmed Ali

Abiy Ahmed Ali was born on 15 August 1976 in Beshasha, Ethiopia. At the time of the award he held the role of Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, a position he had taken up in April 2018.

He received the entire prize share (1/1), meaning the Nobel Peace Prize 2019 was not divided with anyone else.

According to the presentation speech given at the award ceremony, Abiy Ahmed was born into a family of simple means, with a mother from the Amhara Orthodox Christian community and a father who followed Oromo Islam.

Before entering politics permanently, he had a long military career, including taking part in a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Rwanda, and he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

He also completed a PhD at the Institute of Peace and Security Studies at the University of Addis Ababa.

His contribution, as recognised by the committee, rested on three things: ending the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict, pushing democratic reforms inside Ethiopia, and taking an active role in peace efforts across East and Northeast Africa. Each of these is explained in the sections below.

What was the background to the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict?

Ethiopia and Eritrea are neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa. For nearly three decades there had been serious discord between them, including, at times, full war, involving land disputes and military clashes along their shared border, along with a lasting breakdown in diplomatic relations.

A turning point came in 2002, when an international boundary commission issued an arbitration ruling on the disputed border. The ruling favoured Eritrea, but the Ethiopian government of the time refused to accept it.

From then on, the two countries were stuck in what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called a long "no peace, no war" stalemate, a situation that lasted around sixteen years: no active war, but also no real peace, with closed borders and broken ties.

This stalemate had real human costs. It kept families and communities on either side of the border apart, limited trade and travel, and froze diplomatic contact between the governments of the two countries, even as both remained formally at odds over the same disputed territory that had caused the original fighting.

It was this specific, long-running deadlock that Abiy Ahmed inherited when he became Prime Minister of Ethiopia in April 2018, and it is this deadlock that the Nobel Committee's citation singles out by name as his "decisive initiative".

How did Abiy Ahmed make peace with Eritrea?

When Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in April 2018, he made clear that he wanted to resume peace talks with Eritrea. Working closely with Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, he worked out the principles of a peace agreement to end the long stalemate between the two countries.

The process leading to formal peace can be set out as a sequence of connected steps:

1. Abiy Ahmed took office in April 2018 and signalled his wish to restart peace talks with Eritrea.
2. He gave his unconditional acceptance of the 2002 international boundary commission's arbitration ruling, removing the main sticking point.
3. Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki held direct talks and agreed on the principles of a peace settlement.
4. The two leaders signed declarations setting out these principles, in Asmara and later in Jeddah, in July and September 2018.
5. Border crossings began to reopen and diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee was careful to note that peace does not come from one side alone: when Abiy Ahmed "reached out his hand", President Afwerki grasped it and helped formalise the process, so the breakthrough depended on both leaders.

Even so, the committee named only Abiy Ahmed for the 2019 prize, saying the award also aimed to recognise "all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia" more broadly.

The presentation speech also noted that, even after the historic peace agreement, several important border crossings remained closed, and much of the social, cultural and economic cooperation envisaged in the agreements had, at that point, come to a standstill.

What reforms did Abiy Ahmed carry out inside Ethiopia?

The Nobel Committee's citation also credited Abiy Ahmed with "efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation" at home, not only with Eritrea. In his first hundred days as Prime Minister, he introduced a cluster of changes intended to open up Ethiopian politics and society.

The increase in women's representation was striking: the presentation speech noted that women were appointed to 50 per cent of ministerial posts in the cabinet, and that Ethiopia gained a female president, a female Federal Supreme Court Chief Justice, and the world's second female Minister of Peace, Muferihat Kamil.

Abiy Ahmed also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections. The Nobel Committee's facts page cautioned that democratisation posed serious challenges in a country of around 100 million people with more than 80 different ethnic groups, and that at the time of the award there was "considerable suspense" about whether he would deliver on his promise of free elections in 2020.

How did Abiy Ahmed work for peace elsewhere in the Horn of Africa?

The third strand of the citation concerned Abiy Ahmed's role beyond the Eritrea agreement itself. In September 2018, he and his government contributed actively to normalising diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Djibouti, two countries that had been politically hostile for years.

Abiy Ahmed also worked to help settle the dispute between Kenya and Somalia over rights to a disputed marine area, a conflict in which the Nobel Committee said there was "now hope for a resolution".

In Sudan, he played a key role in bringing the ruling military regime and the civilian opposition back to the negotiating table after the fall of President Omar al-Bashir; on 17 August 2019 the two sides released a joint draft of a new constitution meant to secure a peaceful transition to civilian rule.

He was also engaged in related peace and reconciliation talks concerning South Sudan.

The presentation speech summed this up by saying Abiy Ahmed had made "common cause" with stakeholders from Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan and Kenya, and described him as representing a new generation of African leaders who believe armed conflict and ethnic hostility should be settled through peaceful means rather than war.

How did the work develop?

This timeline shows that the prize did not reward a single sudden event but a connected sequence: an old, unresolved dispute, a new leader's decision to accept an existing arbitration ruling, two signed agreements, and a widening circle of related peace efforts across the region within roughly a year and a half.

Why does the prize matter, and what challenges remain?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee itself anticipated criticism, stating plainly that "no doubt some people will think this year's prize is being awarded too early." It explained its reasoning by saying it believed "it is now that Abiy Ahmed's efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement", treating the prize partly as support for work still in progress rather than only a reward for a finished achievement.

The committee pointed to the scale of what was at stake: Ethiopia was, as the committee pointed out, Africa's second most populous nation and had East Africa's largest economy, so a peaceful and stable Ethiopia was expected to have wider positive effects on the whole region.

At the same time, the sources are clear about unresolved problems. Old ethnic rivalries had flared up inside Ethiopia, and international observers estimated that up to three million Ethiopians may have been internally displaced, in addition to roughly a million refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries.

Several important border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea remained closed, and plans for social, cultural and economic cooperation set out in the peace agreements had, by the time of the award, made little further progress.

The Nobel Committee's facts page also notes that it was uncertain, at the time of the award, whether Abiy Ahmed would succeed in delivering free and fair elections in 2020, as he had promised, given Ethiopia's lack of a strong tradition of competitive, democratic elections.

How does this connect to what you study?

This prize connects directly to topics students meet in civics and political science: how new leaders inherit long-standing border disputes, how international arbitration rulings are meant to settle such disputes, and how domestic reforms such as lifting emergency laws, freeing political prisoners and ending censorship are linked to building democracy.

It is also a useful real example for understanding regional diplomacy and mediation, since Abiy Ahmed's efforts touched several separate conflicts at once: the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, the Eritrea-Djibouti relationship, the Kenya-Somalia maritime dispute, and Sudan's transition after a change of government.

Each case shows a different method of working towards peace, from direct bilateral agreements to acting as a third-party mediator between other countries.

Finally, the Nobel Committee's own acknowledgement that the prize might be "too early" is a useful case study in how recognition for ongoing work differs from recognition for a finished, settled achievement, a distinction that comes up in discussions of institutions, awards and public accountability.

Quick facts for exams

The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 was awarded to Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, announced on 11 October 2019 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

He received the whole prize for his efforts towards peace and international cooperation, especially for resolving the long-running border conflict with Eritrea, for his domestic reforms during his first hundred days in office, and for his wider mediation work in the Horn of Africa, including with Eritrea-Djibouti relations, the Kenya-Somalia dispute and Sudan's political transition.

The prize amount that year was 9,000,000 Swedish kronor. The award ceremony speech was delivered by Berit Reiss-Andersen on 10 December 2019.

Note: Source. The prize facts in this note are from the Nobel Prize's official site, nobelprize.org.

Glossary

• Nobel Peace Prize — an annual award established under the will of Alfred Nobel, decided by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
• Norwegian Nobel Committee — the body of five members responsible for selecting the Nobel Peace Prize laureate each year.
• Citation — the official sentence stating the exact reason a laureate was chosen.
• Arbitration — a process in which an independent body is asked to settle a dispute, and its ruling is meant to be accepted by both sides.
• Boundary commission — an international body set up to rule on where a disputed border between two countries should lie.
• Stalemate — a situation in which neither side can make progress, so matters remain stuck without resolution.
• State of emergency — special legal powers taken by a government that restrict ordinary rights, usually during a crisis.
• Amnesty — an official pardon granted to a group of people, often prisoners held for political reasons.
• Censorship — government control over what can be published or broadcast.
• Mediation — a process in which a third party helps opposing sides reach an agreement.
• Internally displaced persons — people forced to leave their homes but who remain within their own country.
• Horn of Africa — the region of East Africa that includes Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: Abiy Ahmed shared the 2019 prize with Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki. Correct: the prize facts show Abiy Ahmed alone received the whole prize (1/1); Isaias Afwerki was his partner in the peace process but was not a co-laureate.
• Misconception: the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict began only in the 2000s. Correct: the hostility between the two countries stretched back almost three decades before the 2018 agreement, with the 2002 arbitration ruling marking the key turning point in that decades-long discord.
• Misconception: the Nobel Committee claimed all problems in Ethiopia were solved by 2019. Correct: the committee explicitly noted continuing ethnic strife, large numbers of internally displaced people and unfinished parts of the peace agreement.
• Misconception: the prize praised only the Eritrea agreement. Correct: the citation also covers domestic reforms and regional mediation in Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia.
• Misconception: free elections were confirmed to have happened successfully by the time of the award. Correct: the Nobel Committee's own facts page says there was still "considerable suspense" over whether free elections would be achieved in 2020.
• Misconception: the Nobel Peace Prize is decided in Sweden like the other Nobel prizes. Correct: the Peace Prize alone is decided by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. For what did Abiy Ahmed Ali receive the Nobel Peace Prize 2019? [2 marks]

1. He received it for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, especially his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.

Q2. When and where was Abiy Ahmed Ali born? [1 mark]

1. He was born on 15 August 1976 in Beshasha, Ethiopia.

Q3. Describe the steps that led to peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2018. [4 marks]

1. Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister of Ethiopia in April 2018 and expressed a wish to restart peace talks with Eritrea.
2. He accepted, without conditions, the 2002 international boundary commission's arbitration ruling that Ethiopia had previously refused.
3. He and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki agreed on the principles of a peace settlement and signed declarations setting these out in Asmara and Jeddah, in July and September 2018.
4. This ended a stalemate of roughly sixteen years, allowed diplomatic relations to be restored, and let border crossings begin reopening, though several important crossings remained closed.

Q4. What domestic reforms did Abiy Ahmed introduce in Ethiopia during his first hundred days as Prime Minister? [4 marks]

1. He lifted the country's state of emergency, ending special restrictive powers.
2. He granted amnesty to thousands of political prisoners.
3. He ended media censorship, allowing a freer press, and legalised previously outlawed opposition groups.
4. He dismissed military and civilian leaders suspected of corruption, and significantly increased women's role in politics, including appointing women to half of his cabinet's ministerial posts.

Q5. Explain why the Norwegian Nobel Committee anticipated criticism for awarding the 2019 prize to Abiy Ahmed, and how it defended its decision. [6 marks]

1. The committee itself acknowledged that some people would think the prize was being awarded too early, since many of Abiy Ahmed's reforms and peace efforts were still unfolding and unfinished rather than fully completed and tested.
2. Ethiopia continued to face serious internal problems at the time, including flaring ethnic rivalries and up to three million internally displaced people, alongside roughly a million refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries.
3. Several border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea remained closed, and the social, cultural and economic cooperation promised in the peace agreements had largely stalled.
4. Despite this, the committee stated that it believed the time was right to recognise and encourage Abiy Ahmed's efforts, treating the prize partly as support for continuing work rather than only a reward for a completed outcome.
5. It also pointed to Ethiopia's regional importance, as Africa's second most populous country with East Africa's largest economy, arguing that a peaceful and stable Ethiopia would benefit the wider region.

Q6. Name two peace or mediation efforts by Abiy Ahmed outside the Eritrea agreement. [2 marks]

1. He helped normalise diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Djibouti, and he mediated between Sudan's military regime and civilian opposition to help produce a draft constitution for civilian rule.

Q7. What role did Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki play in the peace process, according to the sources? [3 marks]

1. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said peace does not arise from one side alone, and that when Abiy Ahmed reached out, President Afwerki grasped his hand and helped formalise the peace process between the two countries.
2. Isaias Afwerki co-signed the declarations with Abiy Ahmed in Asmara and Jeddah in 2018, making his cooperation essential to the agreement, even though only Abiy Ahmed received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Key takeaways

• Abiy Ahmed Ali received the whole Nobel Peace Prize 2019 for ending the Ethiopia-Eritrea border stalemate and for related peace and reform efforts.
• The citation names his "decisive initiative" on the Eritrea border as the clearest reason for the award.
• The Ethiopia-Eritrea dispute had lasted about sixteen years as a "no peace, no war" stalemate after a 2002 arbitration ruling that Ethiopia had refused to accept.
• Abiy Ahmed accepted that ruling and signed peace declarations with President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara and Jeddah in 2018.
• Inside Ethiopia, his first hundred days brought amnesty for political prisoners, an end to censorship, and a sharp increase in women's role in government.
• He also contributed to normalising Eritrea-Djibouti relations and to mediation efforts involving Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Somalia.
• The Norwegian Nobel Committee admitted the prize might seem too early, given continuing ethnic conflict and millions of internally displaced Ethiopians.
• The prize was announced on 11 October 2019 and the ceremony speech was given by Berit Reiss-Andersen on 10 December 2019.

Test yourself

What was Abiy Ahmed Ali's role when he received the Nobel Peace Prize 2019?

He was the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, a position he had held since April 2018.

What did the 2002 international boundary commission decide, and how did Ethiopia initially respond?

It ruled on the disputed Ethiopia-Eritrea border, but the Ethiopian government refused to accept the ruling for years.

Where did Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afwerki sign their peace declarations in 2018?

They signed declarations in Asmara and in Jeddah, in July and September 2018 respectively.

Name one domestic reform Abiy Ahmed made in his first hundred days.

He granted amnesty to thousands of political prisoners held in Ethiopia.

Which country did Abiy Ahmed help mediate between a military regime and civilian opposition in 2019?

He helped mediate in Sudan, contributing to a joint draft constitution released on 17 August 2019.

What population and economic facts about Ethiopia did the Nobel Committee mention?

Ethiopia was Africa's second most populous country with East Africa's largest economy, the committee noted.

Why did the Nobel Committee say the prize might seem "too early"?

Because ethnic strife was still escalating and up to three million Ethiopians were reportedly internally displaced at the time.