Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, president of neighboring Somalia writes on his Twitter page that he appreciated working with Abiy Ahmed to strengthen the region and that he is a worthy winner. And he gets support from several others.
Jens Stoltenberg, Norway's former prime minister and current secretary general of NATO, writes that Abiy Ahmed has shown that with patience, courage and conviction, peace is possible. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has released a statement in which he writes that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's vision has helped Ethiopia and Eritrea reach a historic approach.
"This milestone has opened up new opportunities for the region to achieve security and stability, and Prime Minister Ahmed's leadership has become a wonderful premonition for others in and outside Africa to overcome resistance from the past and put the people first," Guterres writes.
"A political earthquake"
Journalist Martin Schibbye sat with his colleague Johan Persson imprisoned in Ethiopia in 2011. He tells TT that just a few years ago, the conflict between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea was a lockout that affected the entire region.
"The peace agreement that Abiy Ahmed signed between Eritrea and Ethiopia was historic, it was a political earthquake," he says.
Not only positive
But not all reactions have been entirely positive. Already in its justification for this year's peace prize winner, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wrote that some will undoubtedly think it is too early to reward progress in the region. Conflicts are still ongoing in and around Ethiopia and democratic elections are not being held at this time.
Amnesty International writes on its Twitter page that "the award should drive and motivate him [Abiy Ahmed] to address the enormous human rights challenges that threaten to nullify the gains made to date."