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From Europe, Exiles Keep Eye on Ethiopia's Fledgling Democracy

Marthe van der Wolf

   LONDON - Dozens of Ethiopian activists, journalists and politicians
   have lived in exile for many years, havingfled their country when
   dissident voices were repeatedly suppressed and jailed overthe past few
   decades. Ahead of elections set to take place in their homeland in six
   months, the first since theprevious government collapsed in 2018, the
   exiles are closely watching the current unrest and are contemplating
   how they can help.

   KinfuAssefa remained active as a journalist even after being forced to
   move to the Netherlands. From there, he has seen the changes at home,
   and he worries about the strength of Ethiopia's democratic
   institutions.

   "I didn't see proper preparation for the upcoming elections," he said.
   "Neither the ruling party nor the opposition groups have done anything
   so far to mobilize the nation. Activists and exiled journalists could
   contribute a lot towards a positive development in the country. We can
   engage ourselves to ongoing changes through dialogue and discussion. We
   can contribute a lot through knowledge transfer, for instance."

   Ahmed's reforms

   Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed released many political prisoners and won the
   2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending hostilities with Eritrea in the past
   year and a half. His reforms alsoopened upmore space for civil society
   organizations.

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