Jawar Mohammed

Jawar Mohammed (; ግእዝ፡ ጃዋር መሐመድ born 12 May 1986) is an Ethiopian political analyst and activist. and helping bring Abiy Ahmed to power. After 2019, he emerged as one of the leading opponents to the government of Abiy Ahmed in Ethiopia, who accused him of terrorist activities.

Early life and education Jawar Mohammed was born on 12 May 1986 in the Dhumuga, Arsi Province bordering Hararghe. His father was Arsi Oromo, of Muslim faith, while his mother an Orthodox Christian; the inter-religious union was novel but gained acceptance within the community.

Jawar began his formal education at a Catholic school in Asella. He attended secondary school in Adama until 2003, when he was awarded a scholarship to study at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, from which he graduated in 2005. He described his experience at the UWC as awakening his consciousness to his own Oromo identity.

On 7 January 2022, the Ethiopian government announced it would release several political prisoners including Jawar, stating it was "to pave the way for a lasting solution to Ethiopia’s problems in a peaceful, non-violent way" through a “national dialogue”.

2024 memoir Jawar published a 500-page memoir titled I Will Not Regret (Amharic: አልፀፀትም, Oromo: Hin Gaabbu on 19 December 2024 and unveiled in Nairobi, Kenya. The book is centered around his life and persecutions under the Ethiopian government, especially during the Hachalu Hundessa riots. He explained "At first, it was difficult to even obtain paper. Later, with the help of prison guards and others, I managed to smuggle the pages out one by one".