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Paul Schemm
Foreign Night Editor based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopia's reformist Prime Minister announced on Tuesday the appointment of a new half-female government, with unprecedented momentum for gender parity in Africa's second most populous country.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has spent nearly seven months in his mandate on a series of breathtaking reforms for the once authoritarian country, including the release of thousands of political prisoners, making peace with his main enemy, Eritrea, and promising to open the economy.
The new cabinet, which reduces the number of ministerial posts from 28 to 28, places women at the largest security posts for the first time in Ethiopian history. Aisha Mohammed takes over the defense and Muferiat Kamil, a former speaker of parliament, will lead the new Ministry of Peace.
In a way, this could be one of the most important government departments. He oversees the federal police, intelligence services and the information security agency. It will tackle most of the ethnic unrest that has swept the countryside since the Abiy reforms.
"Our women ministers will refute the adage that women can not lead," Abiy told parliament.
Although women have already been in government, they have often held minor positions. In the new government, apart from defense and security, the ministries of trade, transport and labor, as well as those of culture, science and revenue, are led by women.
Awol Allo, an expert on Ethiopia from Keele UK University, said this was particularly important because the lack of gender equality is a persistent problem in the country, which has strong patriarchal traditions.
"This is a very important and progressive gesture on the part of the Prime Minister and very consistent with the transformation programs he is pursuing," he said. "I also think it sends a strong message to young Ethiopian women: they will one day be able to hold positions in the government."
The new government is also represented by marginalized ethnic groups. A diverse nation of some 80 ethnic groups, Ethiopia has long been dominated by only a few groups.
Aisha, the new defense minister, comes from the arid, predominantly Muslim Afar region, while the new finance minister, Ahmed Shide, comes from the Somali region.
[Ethiopia’s ethnic divides rock capital as reports of killings prompt angry protests]
Hallelujah Lulie, an analyst based in Addis Ababa, also highlighted the presence in the cabinet of two Muslim women wearing headscarves, an important inclusion in one Muslim country in three.
"Muslims were historically under-represented," he said. "It's a good move. This projects a good image. It's an inspiration in many ways. "
While it depends a lot on how the new cabinet will address the country's many challenges, including job creation for an extremely young population and a difficult transition out of the authoritarian system, Hallelujah predicted that the new cabinet would ease tensions and would set an important precedent.
Abiy was elected by the ruling party after years of anti-government protests that shook the country. It immediately embarked on a series of reforms and promised free and competitive elections in 2020. The ruling party currently holds all seats in Parliament.
The transition was not easy. In the last year alone, ethnic conflicts displaced 1.4 million people as old ethnic layers were being settled in a security vacuum.
In many parts of the country, the fight against the previous regime has left government structures weak or non-existent, making the rule of law difficult to enforce.
Police and the army, formerly repressive, also find it difficult to find their role in a new environment in which they operated with impunity.
"The state still operates in the hangover of an authoritarian regime," Hallelujah said. "The army and the federal police are still struggling to find that balance between law enforcement and respect for human rights."
The country was frightened on 10 October when 240 armed soldiers went to the prime minister's residence to demand a wage increase and fears of a coup.
In the end, they were invited inside (without their weapons) and were received by senior officials, including Abiy, a former soldier, who then made push-ups with them.
"Democracy is an existential problem for Ethiopia. There is no other choice than multi-party politics, "Abiy said in an interview published on Tuesday.
"Inclusion and coexistence are essential in Ethiopia because of the differences in tribalism, religion and the practically feudal land ownership system that prevailed in the past," he said.
Read more:
Ethiopian Prime Minister undergoing reform faces roadblock of ethnic unrest
After years of unrest, the Ethiopians have a vague hope unlikely. It will last?
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