Abiy Ahmed Ali

Force in Play

In office; has blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for prior attacks on civilians

Armed men killed at least 60 Orthodox Christians in two districts of Ethiopia's Oromia region, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said. The church reported 14 dead in Merti district on October 20 and 46 in Shirka district four days later. Residents told the BBC and Addis Standard that gunmen went house to house for nearly six hours, and that children were among the dead.

Updated Oct 29

Force in Play

Leading the federal military offensive against the TPLF

Federal forces hold Mekelle, Adigrat, Shire and Adwa, and a caretaker administration with a six-month mandate is now running Tigray. On October 23 its political mobilization chief told Tigrayan fighters to hand over their weapons; a TPLF commander had urged more attacks hours earlier.

Updated Oct 29

Force in Play

Warned Eritrea of 'very severe' consequences and is pressing the federal offensive in Tigray.

Ethiopian forces and their Tigray Peace Force allies entered Aksum in mid-October and took Bizet and Inticho on October 20, extending federal control across northern Tigray. Federal troops also pulled back from the border towns of Zalambessa and Rama while keeping up drone and artillery strikes on Tigrayan fighters in the central mountains.

Updated Oct 23

Built World

Launched the first phase of the Ogaden LNG project

Ethiopia signed a contract on October 16, 2026, to build the second phase of its Ogaden liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. Chinese firms GCL Group and Jurong Group will handle engineering, construction and gas processing at the Calub field in the Somali Region.

Updated Oct 21

New Capabilities

Presided over the refinery's October 10 inauguration

Ethiopia opened its first precious metals refinery on October 10, ending a long practice of shipping raw gold abroad for processing. The $50 million plant at Bole Lemi Special Economic Zone in Addis Ababa is built to handle more than 600 tonnes of gold and silver a year. That is more than 13 times the 44 tonnes of gold Ethiopia produced in the fiscal year that ended in July.

Updated Oct 21

Force in Play

Facing a seven-group armed alliance and diplomatic rupture with Eritrea

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending a 20-year standoff with Eritrea. Now he's publicly accusing Eritrean troops of massacring Ethiopian civilians during their joint war against Tigray—a war they fought together as allies.

Updated Oct 16

Force in Play

As of October 2026: In power, facing a declared new war in Tigray and coordinated opposition from seven armed groups

Seven Ethiopian armed groups announced a joint coalition on September 20, linking rebel movements from the country's largest regions under one banner. Three days later, Tigrayan leaders declared a new war with the federal government, and fighting has since spread into the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.

Updated Oct 5

Built World

As of September 2026: Co-developer of the project through state investment arm Ethiopian Investment Holdings

Ethiopia is landlocked, so every litre of imported fuel reaches Addis Ababa by road tanker from Djibouti—a five-day drive. On Thursday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote broke ground on a pipeline that cuts that trip to one day.

Updated Sep 25

Rule Changes

As of June 2026: Seeking a second elected term

Ethiopia's entire Tigray region was excluded from Monday's vote. Polls closed at 6 p.m. across the rest of the country at roughly 48,000 stations. Results are expected by June 11.

Updated Jun 1

Money Moves

As of May 2026: Leading economic reform agenda while managing multiple internal conflicts

Ethiopia signed $13.1 billion in investment agreements at a two-day forum in Addis Ababa on March 27, 2026 — more than five times the government's $2.4 billion target. Companies from China, Poland, India, Singapore, and Kenya committed capital to renewable energy, manufacturing, real estate, mining, and green ammonia production, making it the largest haul from any of Ethiopia's four investment forums.

Updated May 30

Built World

As of May 2026: Presided over GERD inauguration, declaring it Ethiopia's 'dawn' and proof of African self-determination

Ethiopia flipped the switch on Africa's largest dam September 9, 2025, without Egypt's blessing. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam holds 74 billion cubic meters of water, enough to double Ethiopia's power output and, Egypt fears, cut freshwater supplies for 107 million Egyptians.

Updated May 19