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ANALYSIS OF THE NEWS
Abiy Ahmed, the new Prime Minister of Ethiopia, made radical changes during his first 100 days in office. In this, it is not alone: all new leaders know that they need to do a show in their first few months at the office, and act accordingly.
But the breadth and depth of Abiy's reforms suggest that his reforms could be more than just a facade.
Take John Magufuli, who took power in Tanzania in 2015. He had promised to change the voters, and he had to deliver – or
He canceled the Independence Day celebrations on behalf of fiscal prudence. He reduced the budget for a state dinner and used the savings to buy hospital beds. He went unnoticed at the finance ministry, criticizing officials who were not at their desk. He visited a hospital and, appalled by the poor conditions, dismissed his director on the spot.
If nothing else, those first weeks of his administration were an unprecedented publicity stunt. Tanzanians were quietly impressed, as were citizens of other African countries, who wanted their own presidents to learn some lessons. The hashtag #WhatWouldMagufuliDo was born. Ordinary Africans across the continent have used it – with a great deal of humor and humor – to express their hopes and dreams for their own leaders.
But it is not just ordinary citizens who pay particular attention to it. There were also other potential presidents, those who were waiting their turn in the top job, who could not fail to observe the praise lavished on Magufuli – and who understood better than anyone the little that He had done so to deserve it. 19659003] By that time, Magufuli had yet to attempt a meaningful reform. He had not opened the political space of his country; he did not address significantly the corruption of the state, which would have involved high-ranking personalities within his own party; he had not implemented the complete overhaul of health and education systems.
He still has not done it. The initial excitement surrounding it has disappeared. On the contrary, Tanzania has regressed under his leadership, with fundamental civil liberties under threat.
But Magufuli established a model that would be followed in the following years by a parade of new African leaders, who understood that the show was more important than the In South Africa, for example, Cyril Ramaphosa was transformed in a darling of social media when he went to a conference in Kigali using the national carrier, South of South Africa. African Airways, rather than renting a private plane – although SAA does not fly to Kigali, and the plane had been chartered for the occasion.
In Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa donned an elegant headscarf and adopted a new mantra – "Zimbabwe is open to business" – intended to demonstrate his reformist credentials, hoping that bright colors would help us forget the decades that He had spent as Robert Mugabe In Angola, Joao Lourenco made a big show by dismissing family members of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos from senior positions – but, say critics, all that this allows is to change who benefits from corruption, rather than when Abiy Ahmed took office in Ethiopia in April this year, following the surprise resignation of his predecessor Hailemariam Desalegn, observers were able to forgive some cynicism he promised to initiate a wide range of
For once, this cynicism could be moved.
In his first 100 days in office, Abiy released thousands of political prisoners; completed the state of emergency; announced plans for partial privatization of key industries, including telecommunications and aviation; admitted and denounced the use of torture by the State Security Services; and fired prison officials involved in human rights abuses following a damning report from Human Rights Watch.
He also ended a war. The hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea go back several decades, but it took Abiy few weeks to reach a peace deal with Isaias Afwerki, his counterpart in Asmara. Basically, Abiy was ready to make concessions, including the withdrawal of troops from disputed border areas. There are now regular flights between the two countries and, for the first time, it is possible to make international phone calls between them, allowing some long-separated families to talk to each other for the first time this century.
READ MORE: Ethiopian Airlines will operate daily flights to Eritrea
Just last year, one of these reforms would have been unthinkable. Together they are a revolution – a wholesale reimagination of the Ethiopian state.
Such was the speed and magnitude of the Abiy changes that Ethiopians are beginning to think that it could be the real thing. Hundreds of people are returning from exile abroad, eager to believe that this time, things have really changed.
"Things happening in this country go beyond our dreams and imagination," said Hallelujah Lulie, director of the Amani Africa program. seasoned political badyst not inclined to hyperbole. "We can not say that the changes are irreversible, but at this point, that sounds authentic."
The biggest threat to Abiy's reform program, argues Lulie, is unlikely to come from 39 a lack of political will on the part of the Prime Minister, but of those who risk losing in the new dispensation. Changing this dramatic never goes unnoticed, as evidenced by the grenade attack perpetrated last month against the crowd during a speech Abiy in Addis Ababa, which left two dead and 150 wounded.
READ MORE: Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and the Explosive Power of Change
"I believe the biggest challenges could be d & # 39; Other structural challenges, such as the economy and cohesion between the ruling coalition Ethiopia has had a very repressed authoritarian state We are in a transition right now and transition societies have specific challenges said Lulie.
There is still a lot of work to be done for Abiy. To truly dismantle the authoritarian state, it must completely rework the security sector and enshrine fundamental rights and freedoms in Ethiopian law.
But at this point, who would bet against him to follow through on these promises? During his first 100 days in power, Abiy has already achieved more than many leaders can dream of – fundamentally changing the political landscape of Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa region.
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