Economics

Ethiopia Faces Watershed Moment After Prime Minister Resigns

  • Ruling party faces choice between crackdown, political reform
  • Ethiopia was Africa’s fastest-growing economy over past decade
Hailemariam DesalegnPhotographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Ethiopia’s ruling party faces a stark choice after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s resignation: appoint a hardliner to end months of dissent, or replace him with someone who’ll allow greater political freedom.

Its decision will determine whether one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies stabilizes or descends into widespread civil unrest and bloodshed, said analysts including Hallelujah Lulie, an independent analyst in Addis Ababa, the capital.