Nobel Peace Prize winner triumphs at Ethiopian polls but fears grow of new conflict

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Nobel Peace Prize winner triumphs at Ethiopian polls but fears grow of new conflict25 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleKaleb MogesBBC AfricaReutersAbiy Ahmed says he is transforming the economy of Africa's second most-populous nationEthiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is the big winner following the country's general election as his party has retained its overwhelming parliamentary majority, despite the poll being overshadowed by conflict, accusations of repression and little participation by opposition parties. The Prosperity Party, which has 438 out of the 501 seats declared, will form the new government with Abiy set to be sworn in for another term at the beginning of October. It is a boon for Abiy's supporters, who believe he will continue with the economic gains he has overseen.

But others fear the internal divisions and security challenges facing Africa's second most-populous country are only going to get worse with Abiy at the helm. The 49-year-old first came to power amid anti-government protests in 2018, and he was at first hailed for his campaign to heal divisions - though he upset politicians from the northern region of Tigray who had dominated the government for more than two decades. Just a year later he won the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly for his efforts in ending hostilities with Ethiopia's northern neighbour Eritrea.

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But security experts fear the country could be heading back to war, while the violent and deadly insurgencies in Ethiopia's Amhara and Oromia regions show no sign of ending. via Getty ImagesEthiopia's capital, Addis Ababa - where these people waited to vote on 1 June - has been undergoing a rapid transformationOn election day, 143 polling stations failed to open in the country's two most-populous regions because of safety concerns caused by armed groups fighting the government. The Fano militias in Amhara and the proscribed Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Oromia, which both want greater autonomy, rejected the election and its results.

The situation is also troubling in Tigray, which is still recovering from a two-year civil war that only ended in 2022. The region and its six million inhabitants, comprising 36 constituencies, were completely excluded from the poll amid rising fears that fighting could break out once more. Tigray borders Eritrea and during the war, its troops were allied with Ethiopian government forces.

They were accused of widespread atrocities against Tigrayan civilians, which were denied. But since the conflict ended, relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have sharply deteriorated. Eritrea, with its 1,350km (840-mile) coastline, accuses landlocked Ethiopia of having imperial ambitions.

Over the last three years Abiy has repeatedly spoken of his country's need to regain access to a Red Sea port, which it lost when Eritrea became independent in 1993.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.