by Haben Fecadu, Amnesty International Campaigner
ECADF | Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been in office since April 2 last year when massive political and economic changes took root in Ethiopia. Within months of his entrance into office, “Abiy-mania” was in full effect. A charismatic Ethiopian Oromo Evangelical with a Muslim name and conversational Tigrinya, Oromifaa and Amharic, three of the country’s most popular languages, the Prime Minister appealed to many marginalized and underrepresented groups in the country. Oromo and Muslim Ethiopians were excited to be represented at the country’s highest seat of power, and it seemed as if his Evangelical background influenced his initial approaches to national reconciliation – love and forgiveness as a way for Ethiopia to move forward and overcome its crisis of the past three years. The Prime Minister’s transition into leadership seemed even smoother.