Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been sworn in for a new five-year term amid a host of challenges, including a months-long conflict in the northern region of Tigray.
Abiy took the oath of office, administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice Meaza Ashenafi, on Monday following similar oaths by the speaker and deputy speaker of the parliament’s lower house.
Swearing the oath, Abiy Ahmed said:
“I, Abiy Ahmed Ali, today in the House of People’s Representatives, accept the appointment as prime minister, as I pledge to undertake responsibly and with faith to the constitution the responsibility placed upon me by the people..”
Three African heads of state — from Nigeria, Senegal and neighbouring Somalia — attended the ceremony.
“Today is a milestone yet only a beginning of a season of hope,” Abiy’s senior adviser Mamo Mihretu said on Twitter. “The road ahead might be daunting, but we shall not be weary.”
