A Captain Without a Compass, Ethiopia’s Adulterous Politics

By Awet Andebrhan Musei

I recently followed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (leader of the so‑called Potemkin Party) latest explanation before the House of People’s Representatives. Most of the questions raised by the representatives were necessary, newsworthy, and legitimate; they deserved to be asked for the sake of clarity. In response, the Prime Minister did provide answers, yet it would be naïve to believe that he offered tangible realities or meaningful clarifications. As usual, he pressed forward with his narrative of “miracle economic development,” citing IMF growth rate reports to justify his arguments. In reality, however, the Ethiopian people are enduring a daily crisis, struggling even to secure a single meal.

He proudly presented his corridor project as the flagship of his administration’s economic vision. In truth, it has consumed the people’s assets and undermined the very foundations of social security and cultural life. His much‑publicized wheat export policy remains hollow, essentially a “zero wheat” policy that continues to echo in rhetoric without substance.

Anyone hearing the Abiy’s explanation for the first time would find it difficult to reconcile his claims with the stark realities of Ethiopia today. He does not appear to be leading a nation where 21.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 12 million of them children. Nor does he seem to embody the head of a political powerhouse presiding over a country burdened with more than 4 million internally displaced persons and 8.32 million children out of school due to ongoing civil conflict. It is hard to accept that he is shaping the destiny of a country in which nearly 68.7% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, with 18.4% considered highly vulnerable.

In his diplomatic narrative, Abiy sought to highlight the enduring importance of harmony across the history, culture, language, and religion of the Horn of Africa values instilled in us from an early age and long embedded in Ethiopia’s diplomatic tradition. Historically, Ethiopia’s foreign policy has been anchored in fostering strong relations with neighboring states to safeguard regional stability, promote peace, and advance collective development.

In stark contrast, over the past two and a half years Abiy has circulated a narrative of “legitimacy of ownership” over coastal territories. He has presented this argument in parliament and within his administrative circles as justification for asserting claims over lands belonging to Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia a position that directly contravenes the foundational charters of both the United Nations and the African Union. Consequently, Ethiopia has abandoned its long standing diplomatic legacy, diminishing its influence both regionally and globally.

Abiy has openly sought ownership of 50 kilometers of coastal territory, carved out from the more than five thousand kilometers of coastline belonging to neighboring states. He has further pressed for concessions through a “give and take” formula, proposing partial control of the GERD, Ethiopian Airlines, or even land swaps. This posture reveals that the political powerhouse at Arat Kilo is indulging in rabble rousing rhetoric, employing a zero sum strategy in its diplomatic playbook to pursue territorial gains at the expense of neighboring nations.

Such ideological propaganda and inflammatory discourse are profoundly hazardous in diplomacy. They weaponize language, undermine trust, and risk escalating manageable disputes into dangerous confrontations. Tragically, Ethiopia already finds itself ensnared in this diplomatic quagmire under Abiy’s administration, where reckless narratives have eroded the country’s culture of constructive engagement in international relations.

The head of the Prosperity Party once imagined that his adulterous political maneuvering would elevate him to the throne of the Horn of Africa’s geopolitical landscape. He believed that by playing this card, he could crown himself king in a region defined by shifting alliances and strategic rivalries. Yet in reality, he has failed even to serve as a worthy puppet to external powers such as the UAE.

Instead of steering Ethiopia toward stability and progress, his incompetent leadership has dragged the nation into a prolonged political, economic, and diplomatic crisis. The country now finds itself inwardly fractured, unable to project strength abroad while struggling to maintain cohesion at home.

Within his personal circle, the signs are unmistakable: he is suffering from mounting political turmoil and a deep psychological inferiority complex. His recent address to Ethiopia’s representatives revealed not the vision of a confident statesman, but the confusion of a captain adrift without a compass.

This trajectory signals more than personal failure; it reflects a broader collapse of governance. Ethiopia, once seen as a rising power in the Horn of Africa, now risks being sidelined in regional geopolitics. The adulterous nature of his political crimes, betrayal of trust, corruption of principle, and reckless ambition has left both his party and the nation in disarray.

The head of Ethiopia’s Potemkin Party has gone to great lengths to shift blame onto Eritrea for the crisis that erupted in the Tigray region and, more broadly, for the turmoil consuming the nation. Yet it is clear that he is merely attempting to replay the old and discredited card once wielded by the EPRDF in its gamble against Asmara. What he fails to recognize is that the EPRDF was ultimately devoured by its own deceitful strategy, while Eritrea has endured standing firm and tall, sustained by its uncompromising policy of self reliance. Today, Eritrea watches as the Prosperity Party, now derisively branded the Potemkin Party, digs its own grave just as its predecessor, the EPRDF, once did.