--- description: Find out why Abiy Ahmed is one of the 100 most influential people of 2022. title: Abiy Ahmed: The 100 Most Influential People of 2022 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e9322250652cda4/698a31f916d88448fec3aa8d/Abiy-Ahmed-time100-2022.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- May 23, 2022 # Abiy Ahmed by Aryn Baker  Abiy Ahmed Petterik Wiggers—Panos Picture​s/Redux Abiy Ahmed Petterik Wiggers—Panos Picture​s/ReduxPetterik Wiggers—Panos Picture​s/Redux In 2019, the Nobel Committee awarded the [Peace Prize to Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed](https://time.com/5698258/abiy-ahmed-2019-nobel-peace-prize-ethiopia/ "undefined") for his efforts to end his country’s decades-long conflict with neighboring Eritrea. Abiy’s peace treaty with Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki inspired hopes for a transformed region, but also planted the seeds for an [Ethiopian civil war](https://time.com/6075933/ethiopia-at-a-crossroads/ "undefined"). In November 2020, Abiy, with Afwerki’s support, launched a military campaign against their shared enemy: leaders of the rebellious ­northern Tigray region that borders Eritrea. The civil war, now in its 19th month, has become a byword for atrocities against Tigrayans: Abiy’s forces have been accused of massacres, sexual assault, and ethnic cleansing. Famine looms with millions impacted. In March, he declared a truce to allow humanitarian access to the region, which had been blocked for months. But like a previous “humanitarian truce” in June 2021, it appears to be largely strategic, and little real aid has arrived. Abiy has started calling Tigrayan rebels “weeds” in a rise in hate speech. African civil-­society groups are now pleading with the U.N. to act, lest Ethiopia devolve into ethnic cleansing reminiscent of Rwanda. In January, the Norwegian Nobel Committee in a rare move criticized Abiy, noting he has “a special responsibility to end the conflict and contribute to peace.” _Baker is a TIME senior correspondent_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177683/abiy-ahmed-leaders/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177683/abiy-ahmed-leaders/"},"headline":"Abiy Ahmed","datePublished":"2022-05-23T10:06:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:57.021Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177683/abiy-ahmed-leaders/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","TIME100 2022"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e9322250652cda4/698a31f916d88448fec3aa8d/Abiy-Ahmed-time100-2022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e9322250652cda4/698a31f916d88448fec3aa8d/Abiy-Ahmed-time100-2022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177683/abiy-ahmed-leaders/","name":"Abiy Ahmed"}}]}] ```