Nairobi News

Former Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta was honoured in Ethiopia on Sunday for his role in mediating an end to the war between the Ethiopian army and Tigrayan forces.

Mr Kenyatta, the African Union peace envoy and facilitator of the East African Community-led Nairobi Peace Process, was honoured alongside other stakeholders for his contribution to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in northern Ethiopia.

At the signing of the Ethiopia Peace Accord, which African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki also attended, Mr Kenyatta said he was pleased with the agreement that had silenced the guns and thanked Ethiopians for embracing peace.

“I can say how proud I am, how happy I am to be part of this process for a country that I love, a country that’s my neighbour and a country that is at the heart of the African continent. It has been a long journey,” said Mr Kenyatta.

The former president also congratulated all partners involved in turning war into peace in Ethiopia.

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He said Ethiopians can now live in peace, which is a path to prosperity and freedom for the indigenous people.

“Ethiopia has always been a country with great potential. Ethiopia is a country that has led the way in showing the African continent how different nationalities and communities can live together peacefully under one flag”.

The event was also attended by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) interim President Getachew Reda, among other leaders.

Other leaders who have led peace talks and were honoured during the ceremony include former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and South African politician and former UN official Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

The Ethiopian government and the TPLF agreed to a ‘permanent cessation of hostilities’ in November to end the Tigray war after two years of fighting that left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

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