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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been widely praised for introducing radical reforms aimed at ending political repression, writes BBC Africa editor Fergal Keane after his visit to the country.
The crowd at Jimma Airport, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, was handpicked and universally ravishing.
But they are not party hackers who sing the praises and who, so often, honor the arrivals and departures of powerful men in Africa.
Men and women, old, young and very young – full-blown babies were held above the crowd – had gathered to witness the arrival of a political sensation.
"We are very happy," I shouted an old man over the sound of the military band, "it's like a rebirth. We've been waiting for that for so long."
Go from the autocracy
Then Abiy Ahmed was among us, coming down the steps of his plane under delighted cheers, testing the nerves of his safety details as he was wending his way through the crowd to kiss a baby here, kissing an old man.
I 'd been aware of an extraordinary fusion between the motive energy of an individual and the hope of a nation. Africa has rarely seen anyone like him.
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Image caption Pro-Democratic activists hailed the changes in Ethiopia
At 42, he is the youngest ruler of the continent, but his impact is much higher than his age suggests.
When the ruling Ethiopian Revolutionary People's Front (EPRDF) ruling coalition elected him prime minister nine months ago, the country, the second largest country in Africa in terms of population with more than 100 million inhabitants, has changed dramatically since a long period of autocracy.
It ended 20 years of conflict with neighboring Eritrea, released thousands of political prisoners, freed the media and appointed women to half the posts in the government.
Parliament has also accepted her candidacies for the presidency and the presidency of the Supreme Court.
On top of that, he asked a dissident leader to return to the United States to run the electoral commission.
![Quote: Thousands, if not millions, of people paid [a heavy price] see what kind of change in this country](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/E7D9/production/_105035395_datapic-bm1-a6zzt-nc.png)
The pace of change has delighted Democratic activists and has unbalanced more reactionary elements.
Fourteen years ago, Birtukan Mideksa spent 18 months in jail at the head of an opposition party before going into exile in the United States.
She was as surprised as most observers when Mr. Abiy invited her to come back and chair the National Elections Council.
"Thousands, if not millions, of people paid [a heavy price] to see this kind of change in this country … to see this openness, "Ms. Birtukan said.
"Having a former opposition leader, former dissident, at the head of an institution enjoying a great deal of independence … means a lot."
"For people who have paid a price during the process, it's really important," Birtukan added.
"Use ideas, not weapons"
But change has inevitably focused on the important challenges that Mr. Abiy still faces.
When I met him at a graduation ceremony for medical students at Jimma, he asked them "to use ideas and not weapons" and to follow the news. example of a country like Japan, which recovered from the Second World War to build a sophisticated economy.
Key figures: Abiy Ahmed
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- Born of a Muslim father and a Christian mother on August 15, 1976
- Speaks fluently Afan Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya and English
- Joined the armed struggle against the Marxist regime of the Derg in 1990
- United Nations Peacekeeper in Rwanda in 1995
- Entry into politics in 2010
- Briefly served as Minister of Science and Technology in 2016
- Became Prime Minister in April 2018
Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but still has a large number of unemployed youth.
It is both a reservoir of potential talent and a source of potential dissent if the measures taken by Mr. Abiy to liberalize the economy and fight corruption do not succeed quickly.
The Prime Minister was speaking to Jimma's graduates in a context of escalating ethnic conflict across the country.
Ethiopia has more than 80 different ethnic groups.
The divisions are old and deep-rooted, but they intensified in the first half of last year, when 1.4 million people were forced to flee ethnic conflicts in the west of the country, according to the UN.
In total, some 2.8 million people have been uprooted from their homes in recent years. Another area of major concern is border fighting in the Oromia and Somali regions.
Over the decades, the central government has used force and a range of repressive laws to appease ethnic unrest.
As might be expected, this simply gave an impression of national cohesion as untreated grievances became infected. They broke out in protest in 2016.
& # 39; Steel in the voice of Abiy & # 39;
Demonstrations by members of the Oromo community – the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia – precipitated the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and the election of Mr. Abiy.
Mr. Abiy is the first leader of the Oromo community, but stressed that he was a leader for all Ethiopians.
When I met him at Jimma, I asked him if he was the man who united a more and more divided country.
His guards took him out of the crowd, but the question silenced him.
Looking around, he caught my eye and shouted over the noise, "Of course I am, no doubt about it!" There was steel in his voice. And then the smile is back.
Last month, Mr. Abiy set up a reconciliation commission to deal with some of the issues.
This may provide an outlet for spreading uncomfortable truths about the past, but the most important challenge is the federal constitution that divides the regional government according to ethnic criteria.
Respecting ethnic rights while promoting the nation's idea will require great political and legal security.
The reforms of Abie in 2018
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Image legendThe people celebrated the reopening of the land border between Ethiopia and Eritrea
- May – releases thousands of political detainees
- June – lifts the state of emergency
- July – alongside the Eritrean President, declares the end of the war between the two nations
- September – reopens the land border with Eritrea
- October – appoints women to half of ministerial positions
- November – appoints former opposition leader as head of electoral commission
In the Tigray region in the north there has been disturbing turmoil.
Although Tigrayans make up only a small percentage of the population, they dominated the previous government.
In recent months, prominent Tigrayans belonging to the military, security services and business figures have been accused of human rights violations and corruption.
While traveling in Tigray, one often hears concerns about the alleged marginalization of the once powerful group.
A former Communications Minister, Getachew Reda, said that he thought the Tigrayans were becoming scapegoats.
It is as if only the Tigrayan leaders were responsible for the abuses committed in the past by the ruling coalition, he said.
Although he still considers himself a friend of Mr. Abiy, he thinks the young leader risks creating a bankrupt state.
"It symbolizes the kind of ambition, the kind of courage to storm the sky that young people would represent.
"But it also represents the kind of tendency to ignore things, the kind of tendency to try to make decades of telescope in months, in years … to rush things."
For the moment, Mr. Abiy has the wind in his sails and does not lack energy.
Copyright of the imageGETTY IMAGES
Image legendPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed plans to steer the country towards the 2020 elections
Even in Tigray, ordinary citizens who I spoke to viewed him as an inspiring figure.
Elsa Tesfaye is a small farmer who lives near the border with Eritrea and has lost a brother in the war between the two nations.
For her, Mr. Abiy is the man who brought peace "and I thank him for that".
"Neo-religious preacher"
She worries about ethnic divisions and wonders if her son – an engineering student – will be able to work in other parts of the country if the situation worsens.
"[The reforms] are awesome. But there is still a little work. If ethnic conflict … and hatred could be removed, I would be satisfied. "
Mr. Abiy is a fervent Pentecostal Christian and he evokes, so to speak, his preaching in the way he evangelizes his vision. He has energy, pbadion and certainty.
The question is whether it can prevent an escalation of conflicts without resorting to the repressive methods of the past and maintain its reform momentum until the next elections in 2020.
Learn more about reforms in Ethiopia:
Before leaving Jimma, I managed to talk again with Mr. Abiy.
He greeted me with a traditional hug and a kiss. It was Mr. Abiy the accomplished politician.
The world should look at the example of Ethiopia, he said, to see how people can live together in peace. Given the large number of IDPs, this seemed to be more of a statement of ambition than a reflection of the current reality.
But on the central question of reform, he was categorical.
"Something will stop?" I asked.
"Not at all," he replied with a vehemence that left no room for doubt.
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