Ethiopians abroad eye return as reforms kick in back home

(Aug 04, (London, (CNN)))-- On a recent Tuesday night, nearly every table was occupied at Harar, a small Ethiopian restaurant in Vauxhall in South London.

Passengers pose for a selfie inside an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Eritrea's capital Asmara on July 18. It was the first commercial flight from Ethiopia to Eritrea in two decades. (CNN)

Most of the clientele were Ethiopian, eating the flatbread called injera and drinking either coffee or tej, a traditional honey wine. The restaurant was redolent of frankincense, burned as part of an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

 

"I miss everything about Ethiopia. My family, the traditional food, the coffee ceremonies, the festivals, Easter and Christmas," said Alex Abraham, who sought asylum in the UK 10 years ago. His half-Ethiopian, half-Eritrean heritage made staying at home dangerous. He now works as a taxi driver in London.

 

But things are changing back at home. Since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed office in April, he has taken radical steps toward transforming the country. Ethiopia has been in and out of a state of emergency in recent years, and at war with Eritrea for 20 years.

 

Since the 1980s, Ethiopians have been fleeing the country. First from the violent Derg dictatorship that deposed Haile Selassie, and then from the increasingly authoritarian Federal Democratic Republic. The quashing of opposition and alleged human-rights abuses led to a rise in Ethiopians applying for refugee status -- 37,014 applied globally in 2016.

 

But in just a few months the new Prime Minister has made policy changes many Ethiopians never dreamed of seeing in their lifetimes. This has included the release of tens of thousands of political prisoners and an end to the country's war with Eritrea.

 

"The change is really magnificent; it's great because there is reconciliation between the two countries," Abraham told CNN. "I'm planning to go back to Ethiopia for good in one or two years' time. I have to see the change, whether the peace and tranquility lasts," he said, finishing his injera plate. Read more from CNN »

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