Abiy Ahmed Sworn In for Second Term Amid Conflict

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a second five-year term on October 5, 2026, during the inaugural session of Ethiopia's seventh House of Peoples’ Representatives. His ruling Prosperity Party secured a dominant majority with 438 seats in the June 1 election, enabling him to establish the Medemer Government, a name based on his philosophy of national cohesion.

The inauguration takes place during a severe security crisis. Renewed fighting broke out in Tigray on September 23, though federal forces recently regained control of Mekelle after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front withdrew.

Diplomatic relations have also deteriorated as Ethiopia and Eritrea severed ties. Addis Ababa accused Eritrea of supporting a rebel alliance, a rupture that reverses the 2018 rapprochement for which Abiy received the Nobel Peace Prize. The new administration now faces a multi-front conflict involving regional grievances and heightened tensions with Egypt and Sudan over Red Sea governance and Nile waters.