· It is difficult to discern what that triggered between the two, when President Trump asserted that he was more eligible for the coveted Nobel Prize on Peace than Ethiopian premier Abiy Ahmed since he played to key role in brokering the peace deal
· Some people say that Trump was referring to the Nobel Prize while others are betting on the mediator’s role he is playing to end the dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grant Renaissance Dam built over River Nile
Is it a shadow boxing between US President Donald Trump and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed or war of words over the Nobel Prize ? It is difficult to discern what that triggered between the two, when President Trump asserted that he was more eligible for the coveted Nobel Prize in Peace than Ethiopian premier Abiy Ahmed since he played a key role in brokering the peace deal. Abiy’s retort was in sync with his demeanor- calm and composed- when he said that the US President should direct his complaints to the Nobel Prize selection committee in Oslo and neither him or the public. To top it, Abiy also said that he did not know whether his name was considered for the prize and the benchmarks used for selecting the awardees.
The whole drama unveiled when President Trump at a recent rally in Ohio, has famously said the leader of one of the countries had been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize after he (Trump) had made a deal and saved a country a big war and the lives of many the war would have snatched. He was purportedly referring to Ethiopia and its Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The retort of Abiy may be mooted but razor sharp to hit Trump.
To those who are not uninitiated in the verbose of the two heads of states, Abiy had won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 and joined the list of a few political personalities who got the award while serving as the head of a state. Being young and face to face with complex problems peculiar to the continent and the country he rules, Abiy was hailed globally for taking proactive measures for ending the two-decade long bloody war between Ethiopia and neighboring Eretria. Many tried to find an amicable solution that haunted the Horn of Africa, but in vain. Backed by a clear strategy, deftness in foreign policy and charm, Abiy could convince the Eritrean strong man Isaias Afwerki the need for sorting out the issues across the table through arduous dialogue and a give and take policy.
Trump was not very wide of the mark that the peace in Horn Africa is not alone the work of two persons or a group of persons. If anybody could claim their share of glory for brokering the peace deal, they could be Gulf States-particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Emirates, who were key backers of the peace proposal. Both countries have decorated Abiy and Afwerki for their contribution s for working out the peace formula by bestowing Gold Medals.
The irony of the situation is that people are still debating which deal President Trump was referring to in the Ohio speech which went viral on 9th January 2020. Some people say that Trump was referring to the Nobel Prize while others are betting on the mediator’s role he is playing to end the dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grant Renaissance Dam built over River Nile. That view was poignant since representatives of all three countries-Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan-who are involved in the impasse over the dam recently met in Washington DC to sort out the deal. It is important to note that President Trump and US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin are directly involved in the mediation process.
