Nations prone to split over ethnic or religious divides often find ways to bond by embracing a higher civic identity. Ethiopia just set a small example of that. Two top leaders – from different ethnic groups – found a way to avert a renewal of a vicious war that ended two years ago.
Peace prevails for now in Ethiopia’s restive state of Tigray, as does a desire for unity around national ideals.
Less than a month ago, most observers of East African politics widely expected that simmering tensions in Tigray would boil over into conflict again. Their concerns were heightened when disgruntled members of Tigray’s security forces seized key government buildings in an intra-Tigrayan dispute over jobs. Three officers had been suspended by the state’s interim administration.
The then-head of Tigray called for direct federal intervention after he fled in March to the nation’s capital. But rather than act on that request, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed wisely appointed Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, a Tigrayan and a former battlefield foe in the war, to lead the interim administration. The state’s temporary government was set up as part of a negotiated peace deal in 2022.
The appointment is “not merely a change in leadership,” wrote a commentator in the Addis Standard, but shifts “the calculus from confrontation to reconstruction.”
In accepting the appointment, Mr. Tadesse, whose military reputation provides him legitimacy in his new role, affirmed “full implementation” of the peace deal. He stressed, “We must work together by moving away from the idea of winners and losers.”
The prime minister also took the high road in a posting on the platform X: “It is my hope that [Mr. Tadesse] will seize this historic opportunity to help the people of Tigray realize their aspirations for peace and development – just like their fellow citizens across the country.”
Much still needs to be done to avoid other ethnic flare-ups. Amhara state, for example, still holds a part of Tigray. That standoff hampers the return of more than 1 million displaced Tigrayans to their homes.
In Africa’s second-most populous country, different groups are still battling over rights, resources, and borders. Yet a different message from two top leaders is showing a more collaborative, and less combative, approach.
