Awol Allo
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Awol Kasim Allo is an Ethiopian academic, author and lecturer who started teaching law at
University of Keele Keele University is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted university status by Royal Charter as ...
in 2016.


Early life and education

Awol Kasim Allo was born in the village of Wate-Chimmo near Gassera in the former Bale Province in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. He attended Batu Terara High School in
Goba Goba ( Oromo: ', Amharic: ጎባ) is a town and separate woreda located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia approximately 446 km southeast of Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,743 ...
. He obtained a law degree at
Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (; AAU) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, and one is located in Bishoftu, about away. ...
in 2006, a master's degree at the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
in 2008, and his PhD at the
University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
in 2013, specialising in the "role of law and legal institutions in enabling progressive social and political change". He is an Oromo
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. Sehin described Awol as a charming, Western-educated intellectual and knows his impact as a political expert.


Academic career

Awol taught at the LSE starting in 2013. He started a tenure track position at
Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...
in September 2016. , Awol held British citizenship. In 2019, Awol started a research project into "medemer and solidarity", where "medemer" is a "notion ... similar to the notion of solidarity" proposed by
Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali (; ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who is the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018 and the leader of the Prosperity Party since 2019. He rose through the ranks of government via the Information Networ ...
after becoming prime minister of Ethiopia. Awol wished to see if ''medemer'' could aid in democratisation and peaceful coexistence in Ethiopia.


Points of view

Awol was supportive of
Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali (; ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who is the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018 and the leader of the Prosperity Party since 2019. He rose through the ranks of government via the Information Networ ...
, who became prime minister of Ethiopia in 2018, nominating him successfully for the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
in 2019. Awol became a critic of Abiy in 2020. Awol stated in international media outlets like
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,
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and the
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criticising what he saw as Abiy's growing authoritarianism, the repression of journalists and political dissidents in Ethiopia. Awol has also accused Abiy of favouring centralisation against federalism and of being motivated by the desire for centralised control of power in the decision to launch an attack by the
Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) () is the combined military force of Ethiopia. ENDF is consisted of 10 command forces which is controlled by the Chief of General Staff. Commanders of the Military Supreme Commander – Taye At ...
(ENDF) against the
Tigray Region The Tigray Region (or simply Tigray; officially the Tigray National Regional State) is the northernmost Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob people, Irob and Kunama people. I ...
in November 2020. An Ethiopian arrest warrant against Awol was issued in late November 2020.


Truth commission

In 2019, Awol stated that he was supportive of the creation of the Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission to help in
transitional justice Transitional justice is a process which responds to human rights violations through judicial redress, political reforms and cultural healing efforts and other measures in order to prevent the recurrence of human rights abuse in a region or countr ...
, but warned of risks. He summarised the experience of other countries that had had truth commissions, stating that "the tension between accountability/justice and peace are one of the most well-known and inevitable of contradictions faced by almost all transitional societies."


Regional and federal democracy in Ethiopia

In 2019, Awol called for Oromo political groups to participate in organising politically in preparation for election, to "enter into coalitions and engage in constructive politics". He stated that "No mature and decent leadership can resort to violence under any condition" and warned that "engag ngin sabotaging the transition for short term political gains" would cause all groups to lose. Awol stated in 2019 that he saw the federal government as showing "significant levels of patience" in compromising with regional governments and in not using its full legal powers of arrest of federal crime suspects." In 2020, Awol's view of the federal government evolved to see it as becoming authoritarian (see #Awol's view on the Tigray conflict below). In November 2020 he saw the
Tigray People's Liberation Front The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ), also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing Ethnic nationalism, ethnic nationalist, paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a ter ...
(TPLF, the former ruling party until 2018) as "an outspoken and powerful defender" of a federal structure in Ethiopia.


Views on the Tigray war

Awol, who had been one of the nominees of
Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali (; ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who is the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018 and the leader of the Prosperity Party since 2019. He rose through the ranks of government via the Information Networ ...
for the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
, described Abiy as becoming increasingly authoritarian during the late 2020 Tigray conflict, repressing journalists and political dissidents. Awol opposed the sending of the
Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) () is the combined military force of Ethiopia. ENDF is consisted of 10 command forces which is controlled by the Chief of General Staff. Commanders of the Military Supreme Commander – Taye At ...
(ENDF) to take control of the
Tigray Region The Tigray Region (or simply Tigray; officially the Tigray National Regional State) is the northernmost Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob people, Irob and Kunama people. I ...
. On 25 November 2020, Awol described the conflict as "a deadly civil war that asthreatening to destabilise an already fragile and volatile region". Awol interpreted the ENDF actions as "an all-out war on a regional government as a means to settle an ideological and political difference". Awol stated that the war in Tigray continued the "violent and widespread repression" that had begun earlier in
Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...
,
Wolayita Zone Wolayita or Wolaita is an administrative Zones of Ethiopia, zone in Ethiopia. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Zone, on the west by the Omo River (Ethiopia), Omo River which separates it from Dawro Zone, Dawro, on the northwest by Kem ...
and
Sidama Region The Sidama Region (Sidama language, Sidama: ; ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in southern Ethiopia. It was formed on 18 June 2020 from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and transformation of the Sidama ...
"against those who resisted" Abiy's program. He said "after silencing dissent and opposition elsewhere in the country, Abiy and his camp are turning to Tigray, the last frontier in the battle over the character of the Ethiopian state". Awol saw a fundamental opposition between "Abiy's vision of a centralised and unitary state" versus a constitutional division of power between a central government and autonomous regional governments. Awol described the "Amharas and the Amhara elite" as supporting the ENDF actions with the aims of retaking land and of reimposing and assimilationist system of excluding non-Amhara culture. Awol stated that, "As a Nobel laureate, Abiy had the moral and political obligation to rule out war as a means of settling a political dispute. There can be no military solution to the ideological differences between Abiy and the TPLF." In late November 2020, Ethiopian authorities issued arrest warrants for Awol and seven other Ethiopian intellectuals for what the government called "using a variety of media outlets to destroy the country".


Ethiopian government arrest warrant

Abiy Ahmed's government issued arrest warrants for Awol in December 2020, along with seven other Ethiopian activists, writers and academics, for publicly criticizing Mr Abiy's decision to send the Ethiopia powerful federal army into the country's Tigray region to oust the regional government there on 4 November 2020. "I am not surprised at all by this news. Abiy Ahmed has shown that he is very intolerant of any kind of dissent or criticism. It's not just Awol Allo who he has targeted. He is arresting people left, right and centre. In my opinion, he is a dictator in the making," said Yohannes Woldemariam, an academic focusing on the Horn of Africa. "I think the Nobel Committee made a very big mistake. They saw Abiy smiling and he dresses well. I guess he has some currency these days. They were looking for an Africa success story. That's why they gave him the peace prize but there is no peace. Ethiopia is basically an empire which is fracturing apart." The Ethiopian government said the arrest warrant was for "using a variety of media outlets to destroy the country". Abiy's government also deported the British citizen
International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...
’s Ethiopia Senior Analyst William Davison. No formal reason was immediately given, but his expulsion doubtless relates to the serious Tigray conflict and increasing sensitivity to non-official points of view. According to
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
,
Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...
and
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
, since the start of the Tigray conflict, Abiy's government intensified its arrests of Ethiopian journalists and the closing media outlets, which had started mid 2019. Furthermore, in November 2020, the authorities suspended the press licence of
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
correspondent, and issued a warning letter to the correspondents of both
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and
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
for what the government described as "violation of the rules of media broadcasting".


Criticism

Awol has been criticised by Sehin Teferra as incorrectly rejecting the existence of an Ethiopian identity by misrepresenting it. and as being a bigot for denying the right of Ethiopians to see themselves as having an Ethiopian identity. Sehin accused Awol of having "fanned the flames of ethnic bigotry" in relation to the June 2020 Hachalu Hundessa riots that followed the murder of Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa. While Awol saw the arrests of Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba in relation to the Hachalu Hundessa protests as Abiy making the Oromia Region "leaderless", Sehin saw Awol's view as support for violence and a refusal to consider evidence.


References


External links

* {{official website at the University of Keele Living people Oromo people Ethiopian Muslims Ethiopian academics Year of birth missing (living people)