Ahmed: From hope to war, autocracy

ABIY Ahmed took power in Ethiopia in 2018, raising hopes that it would become a more open, democratic country, but his rule has been marked by mounting repression and civil war.

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Abiy Ahmed Ali is a politician serving as the 4th Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018. | AP

The “Abiymania” of his early months as leader of the Horn of Africa nation saw him feted at home and abroad for releasing political prisoners, loosening the state's grip on the media, and promising to open up the heavily controlled economy.

He even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for a rapprochement with neighbouring Eritrea.

“He enjoyed broad popular support at a time when people were hoping for change,” said Roland Marchal, a researcher at the Centre for International Studies and Research (Ceri) in Paris.

But that soon gave way to the sort of authoritarianism familiar to Ethiopians.

“He is becoming more and more like an imperial leader,” said Cameron Hudson, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.