10/17/2018

Ethiopia's new government relies on women and peace

An exemplary development not only for Africa (Press Release)

[Translate to Englisch:] Präsident Isaias Afewerki und Premierminister Abiy Ahmed unterzeichnen die "gemeinsame Erklärung für Frieden und Freundschaft zwischen Eritrea und Äthiopien". Bild: Yemane Gebremeskel via Wikimedia Commons CC0

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the government formation in Ethiopia is to be seen as “exemplary” and “groundbreaking”. “After decades of war, arbitrariness, abuse of power, and corruption, Ethiopia’s new government is setting a sign of hope and renewal. Instead of providing the same power elites with influential positions, Ethiopia is setting out on a new beginning. Half of all government offices will be held by women, the cabinet has been significantly reduced in size, and there will be a Ministry for Peace, which underscores the new priorities of state leadership,” explained Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director, in Göttingen on Wednesday. The women will not only be given symbolic power: the Ministry of Defence will be led by a woman.

“In many African capitals, this paradigm shift is likely to be followed with concern, as the traditional order is questioned,” Delius stated. By opening the border to Eritrea and by negotiating a peace treaty with the hostile neighbor, Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had already brought about significant changes to the structure of power and influence of the neighboring states at the Horn of Africa. Not all governments in the neighboring countries are enthusiastic about this. Uganda and Sudan fear for their traditional zones of influence.

While countries like Cameroon (which is currently sinking into civil war) have more than 60 ministers in highly paid positions, and South Sudan (which is bankrupt) still has 38 ministers, Ethiopia decided to reduce the number of ministries from 28 to only 20. While there were only five women in the former government, they will in future occupy half of all government offices. Ahmed sees this as an important initiative to effectively combat corruption, as women are said to be less corrupt. The new Ministry for Peace is headed by a woman as well. Thus, the government has acknowledged the outstanding role of women in the search for peace in East Africa.

“The new Minister for Peace will be facing the greatest challenge, as she is also responsible for the Federal Police and the secret services. Conflicts of interest are inevitable, and it remains to be seen whether the search for lasting peace will actually be given priority,” Delius emphasized. Further, the human rights activists pointed out that Ethiopia’s secret services have a long tradition of torture, enforced disappearances, and other serious human rights violations.

Header picture: Yemane Gebremeskel via Wikimedia Commons