Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Wins 2019 Nobel Peace Prize

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was on Friday announced as the winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

The prize was granted to Abiy in recognition for his efforts in bringing to an end a conflict with neighboring Eritrea that lasted for more than two decades.

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali,” a statement from the Academy read.

The $900,000 prize, which was announced on Friday by the Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen, will be presented in Oslo on December 10th this year.

Ethiopia and Eritrea had been fighting over border control before Abiy helped restore relations between the two Horn of Africa nations in July 2018 after years of hostility.

In July last year, Abiy made a landmark visit to Eritrea, becoming the first Ethiopian leader to do so in many years.

Abiy beat three top contenders for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to The Telegraph. They are Greta Thunberg, a climate change activist, Raoni Metuktire (Brazilian leader) and  Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand Prime Minister).

He joins an exclusive list of other African leaders who won the prestigious prize including Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, Wole Soyinka, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Albert Luthuli.