Ethiopia’s prime minister won a Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea. Now the former allies could go to war

In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to foster peace with neighboring Eritrea. However, just a year later, their armies found themselves fighting against Tigrayan rebels in northern Ethiopia. Recent events have put this uneasy alliance under strain, raising concerns over the possibility of renewed conflict between the two former allies.

This developing situation could have significant implications for the stability of a region still grappling with the aftermath of a devastating war that claimed an estimated 500,000 lives between 2020 and 2022. The underlying conflicts involve power struggles, territorial disputes, and competing claims over vital resources such as the Nile River.

These complex issues highlight the delicate balance between Ethiopia's internal divisions and its external relationships with Eritrea and other regional powers. As the situation continues to evolve, the potential for conflict looms large, threatening to unravel the tentative peace that was achieved in 2022.