Ethiopia’s national dialogue was meant to heal the nation, but divisions are deepening

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at a past African Union summit. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

Ethiopia launched a national dialogue process in 2022 to address deep political divisions and help steer the country towards stability.

In theory, such dialogues can help societies move beyond war, rebuild trust and agree on new political rules. This has happened in countries such as Kenya, Tunisia and Yemen.