Eyob Tekalign Tolina (PhD), State Minister of Finance and our former student at Mekelle University seems to have known what's coming and I think he is conveying three messages in his recent call for silencing the guns.
First, as a negotiator representing Ethiopia, Eyob is the first official to sense the consequences of the delay (possible failure) of Ethiopia's debt restructuring attempt that has resulted in the downgrade of the country's credit rating to a junk category. By supporting peace efforts, he is dicharging his professional obligation to prevent the economy from a complete collapse.
Second, by accepting the peace talks he might be able to secure the exclusion of his name from the list of the officials targeted by the sanction. By doing so, he is minimizing the chance of denial to enter to the states or suspension of his bank accounts
Third, Dr. Eyob's tweet signals the emergence of a group with in Abiy's circle (and led by Abiy himself) who are advocating for a negotiated settlement. Eyob might be indicating his loyalty to Abiy against the stand of the extreme members in PP.
Its never too late to save lives and other Ethiopian top government officials must follow Eyob's smart move.
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