ADDIS ABABA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The political upheaval in Ethiopia has implications for the African Union (AU), which is headquartered in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, according to new publication by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).
The ISS, an African non-profit orgnization, in its latest publication on Friday entitled "Why the African Union Needs a Stable Ethiopia?" has stressed the importance of Ethiopia's stability to the Union as well as the stabilizing factor of AU's presence in the East African country.
According to the institute, Ethiopia, apart from being the historical birthplace of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) -- AU's predecessor -- it is also a major player in the Horn of African region, mainly due to its strong military role in the region and as the host to almost 850,000 refugees, mostly from its neighboring countries of South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea.
Noting Ethiopia's huge peacekeeping contributions to UN and AU missions in the world, the ISS further argued that the East African country "occupies a strategic position as AU host and as a power in an unstable part of Africa."
ISS, however, indicated that the high growth rates that Ethiopia witnessed in the past few years have not been shared by all Ethiopians, which creates tension among some sections of the population.
Ethiopia has been facing incessant protests since 2016, especially in its three most populous Oromia, Amhara and Southern regional states.
The recent round of protests have led to the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, which followed by the sanction of a six-month state of emergency period as of February 16.
Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, Professor of Public Policy at Addis Ababa University, told Xinhua in a recent interview that the declaration of a state of emergency for a second time in short period of time is due to the "youth protest as one of the most momentous movement since the Afro-Arab Spring that has the potential to escalate to a wider conflict."
"The mass campaign has celebrated the release of opposition figures, protest bloggers and journalists from incarceration," Costantinos said, adding: "It is unprecedented in this nation's recent history, where protests have managed to persuade a formidable regime to capitulate to its demands."
According to the institute, the pan African block is "important for Ethiopia, given its contribution in terms of job creation and economic opportunities in Addis Ababa. In this sense, and as a bare minimum, the presence of the AU could serve as a stabilizing factor in a very complex situation."
The AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, had recently called for all Ethiopian stakeholders to refrain from acts that undermine peace and stability.
"I stress the need for all concerned stakeholders to display a spirit of responsibility and refrain from any acts likely to undermine peace and stability," read the statement from the chairperson.
"The Chairperson is confident in the ability of the Ethiopian authorities and people to overcome the challenges at hand and to consolidate the remarkable progress made in the socioeconomic development of the country," it added.
Mahamat also met with Desalegn after his resignation, in which he pledged the AU's continued support to Ethiopia's demands.
The ISS, however, said that the AU could do "not very much" to help mitigate the risks of instability for itself and for its host country, as Ethiopia is "traditionally far less susceptible to outside influence in its internal affairs than many other African countries."
"The large presence of the AU and international organizations does, however, keep the country and especially its capital in the spotlight," the ISS added.
