Oslo
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his peacemaking efforts with Eritrea. Ethiopia and Eritrea, longtime foes who fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, restored relations in July 2018 after years of hostility. Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chairwoman of the five-member Norwegian Nobel Institute that awards the Nobel Peace Prize, said Ahmed was named for his moves to end his country’s conflict with next door Eritrea within months of coming to office in 2018. He signed a “Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship” with Eritrean Prime Minister Isaias Afwerki. Ahmed said he is “humbled and thrilled” by the award. In audio of a call between the Nobel Committee and the Ethiopian leader, Abiy calls the award “a prize given to Africa, given to Ethiopia”. — AP