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Leaders, institutions congratulate Abiy Ahmed on Nobel Prize win

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FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed. (Photo by Simona Granati – Corbis/Getty Images,)

African leaders and institutions congratulated Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

PM Abiy, the first Ethiopian to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, was recognised for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and especially for his initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.

The chairman of the African Union Commission (AUC) said PM Abiy’s peacemaking efforts had given the world hope at a trying time.

PM Abiy also recently initiated efforts to improve relations between Kenya and Somalia over their maritime border dispute. Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo also sent his congratulatory message.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that PM Abiy was one of the reasons that he often said “winds of hope are blowing ever stronger across Africa”.

“This milestone has opened up new opportunities for the region to enjoy security and stability, and Prime Minister Ahmed’s leadership has set a wonderful example for others in and beyond Africa looking to overcome resistance from the past and put people first,” Guterres said in a statement.

Countries outside Africa, the United Nations’ specialised agencies and other global leaders also congratulated the Ethiopian leader.

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