ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed to “shake off Ethiopia’s enemies one by one, like hair lice” as he urged national unity and vigilance during the 20th Ethiopian Nationalities and People’s Day, framing the country’s struggles as tests of resolve that must be met with discipline, dialogue and reform.
In a speech calling for resilience amid persistent political and regional strains, Abiy warned citizens against becoming conduits for “outsiders” he said are bent on derailing Ethiopia’s progress. He did not name specific adversaries, but Ethiopia remains at odds with Egypt over Nile River water rights and has faced tensions with Eritrea, while pressing a stated goal of securing sea access through neighboring countries.
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“When outsiders rise in malice to eclipse our aspirations, Ethiopians must not become tools for their interests, because a rope entangled by them neither unties nor binds,” Abiy said. He urged Ethiopians to prioritize cohesion over division: “When we should be united with each other, let us not let the desire of the outsiders with evil thoughts enter within us so that we are not condemned by history,” he said, as reported by Addis Standard.
The prime minister coupled his combative rhetoric with an appeal for institutional renewal. He called for “courage” to fortify peace, a commitment to dialogue, diligent work across sectors and a “despising” of corruption—framing modernization as a nonnegotiable path that must be pursued without compromising sovereignty. “Let us find courage and fortify our peace. Let us believe in dialogue. Let us work diligently in every field of endeavour we are engaged in, and let us despise corruption,” he said.
Portraying Ethiopia as “a country full of great hope,” Abiy said recent gains are being challenged “day and night” by malign forces. “While these good beginnings are supported by our Creator, attempts are made day and night by the persistence of the devil to derail them,” he said.
He pledged that “no challenge, no provocation, no evil scheme can stop Ethiopia from achieving prosperity,” promising to transform setbacks into momentum. “We will transform every challenge into an opportunity and accelerate Ethiopia’s prosperity. We will strengthen Ethiopia’s unity. We will shake off Ethiopia’s enemies one by one, like hair lice.”
Abiy closed with a call for determination and calm: “We will finish in peace, just as we started in peace. We, the children of Colonel Bezabih, will not be intimidated; we will finish with heroism what we started with heroism.”
The remarks come as Ethiopia’s domestic stability and regional posture draw scrutiny. The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been accused by Eritrea and Somalia of destabilizing the Horn of Africa—allegations he denies—with both countries criticizing his government’s push for access to the Red Sea to develop a port and military presence. At the same time, Ethiopia and Egypt remain locked in a diplomatic standoff over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile, a dispute that has added a geopolitical edge to Abiy’s calls for unity and vigilance.
Throughout his address, Abiy sought to knit together an agenda of security, reform and national pride, presenting unity and anti-corruption efforts as essential to insulating Ethiopia from external pressure. “Let us find courage and fortify our peace,” he said, insisting that unity at home would blunt attempts to exploit Ethiopia’s divisions. “Modernization must be pursued while safeguarding sovereignty,” he added, casting the country’s future as a test of collective will.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
