Abiy Ahmed’s turn of fortune: from Nobel Peace Prize to a fracturing Ethiopia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, once celebrated for normalising Eritrea ties and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, now faces growing criticism as reform stalls and the country fractures along regional and religious lines. Renewed fighting in Tigray, alongside conflicts in Oromia and Amhara, has coincided with a strained Eritrea relationship and stalled economic reforms, while rapid urban renewal projects displace tens of thousands. Observers describe his governing as increasingly autocratic, driven by a Pentecostal-infused worldview and a push for sweeping modernization that risks further dissent and instability.