A recent tweet from Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde has sparked widespread speculation about her possible resignation. The tweet, which quoted a line from Mahmoud’s song Silence is My Answer, read: “When a person feels sad and broken, when he has got no place to go, hope is his only hope.” This emotionally charged message, coupled with reports from The Habesha that the President may resign as early as next week, has ignited rumors and intensified the public debate about her future.
The President’s cryptic tweet comes at a time when she is facing increasing criticism for her perceived passivity in addressing the ongoing conflict across several parts of Ethiopia. Many critics argue that her silence on the war and the humanitarian crises it has caused has left a leadership void during a critical moment for the country. With conflict tearing through multiple regions, the calls for more vocal and assertive leadership from the President have been growing louder.
The rumors of her resignation were further fueled by The Habesha’s report, which suggested that Sahle-Work could be stepping down next week. As these speculations gained momentum, her tweet seemed to add confirmation to the possibility, with many interpreting the words as a sign of her growing disillusionment with the state of the nation.
In response to the swirling rumors, however, the President’s office issued an official statement aimed at dispelling the speculation. “The article is posted on a personal account and does not concern our office,” a spokesperson for the President’s office stated . The office’s statement appears to distance the President’s official role from the emotional tone of her personal social media post, seeking to clarify that no resignation is currently in motion.
Despite the clarification, the timing of the tweet and the context in which it was posted have left some observers skeptical. For many, the tweet’s feelings of sadness and despair echoed sentiments that could easily be seen as reflecting the pressure of leadership, particularly amid growing public frustration with the President’s handling of national crises.
Sahle-Work, Ethiopia’s first female president, was widely celebrated when she took office in 2018, heralded as a symbol of progress and reform. However, as Ethiopia’s political climate has grown more volatile, her perceived reluctance to speak out has drawn sharp criticism from both the public and political commentators.
The speculation surrounding her future may not fully dissipate, even with the President’s office dismissing the tweet as a personal expression.
