In awarding the 2019 Nobel peace prize to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the judges conceded there might be doubts about the progress he has made in resolving his country’s long conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.

Peace is never straightforward nor guaranteed but, says the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Mr Abiy’s efforts “deserve recognition and need encouragement”.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is considered a strongly reformist leader. Credit:AP

The Nobel committee’s message is about hope and commitment, not absolute success. It recognises the valour in trying for peace, which necessitates stepping back from previous demands and leading others to understand how courteous, even co-operative, coexistence can work.

Of all the regional conflicts, the one between Ethiopia and Eritrea ranks as one of the most futile and brutal. The scrabble that commenced in 1998, just a few years after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, was ostensibly over thin strips of border territory. It escalated into full-scale war and, in the initial two years, it claimed the lives of at least 70,000 soldiers and civilians.

Repeated efforts at peace negotiations, even signed schedules and commitments towards an end to conflict, fell away. And the endless years of violence and reprisals, mass conscription, economic hardship, sanctions, tribal and familial splits led many tens of thousands of young Ethiopians and Eritreans to abandon their countries for safer places.

While the rationale for war was opaque, the effects were highly apparent as Eritreans and Ethiopians sought refuge in northern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America. By 2017, up to 12 per cent of Eritrea’s population had left. In 2018 alone, more than 41,000 Eritreans and 22,900 Ethiopians applied for asylum in other countries.

Certainly not all of this mass migration is due to the war. Hard-line tactics by repressive leaders in both countries, abuses by security forces, arbitrary detention and torture, suppression of political opposition, coupled with intermittent famines and weak access to medical and legal services predictably led to exodus.

Mr Abiy released many thousands of political prisoners soon after he came to power 18 months ago. Ethiopia remains beset by internal ethnic disputes, and the government has a long way to go if it is to achieve more than just symbolic acclaim. But Mr Abiy is considered a strongly reformist leader, aiming for more transparency and accountability, and with a general commitment to improve living conditions and democratic processes.

Across the border, Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki is far less accommodating to political opponents or even mild dissenters. A United Nations report in 2016 accused Eritrea of crimes against humanity, totalitarian practices, and “systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights” by state officials since 1991.

Cross-border peace has been difficult enough. In Eritrea, though, nothing has changed. An authoritarian despot remains in power, and the people remain oppressed.

Many Australians might wonder why the award was conferred on Mr Abiy in a year when other, more prominent peace efforts were made. There were more than 300 nominees for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, including dozens of organisations that seek to improve free speech or political representation, reduce the accumulation of firearms, or that rescue and harbour refugees.

Eastern Africa and the Saudi Arabia peninsula have long been flashpoints for lawlessness, demagoguery, corruption, oppression and piracy. Making first steps to a lasting peace in Ethiopia and Eritrea potentially has major ramifications for the greater region. Stability in one bilateral relationship can alter the dynamic for the good.

That’s why this particular effort for peace matters so much to the world.

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