Ethnic federalism in ethiopia pdf

The imperial period 1974 ethiopia is the only african state never colonised by a foreign power. Under the cover of ethnic federalism, the divide and rule strategy of the tplf eprdf regime, weaken interregional and interethnic cooperation, and exacerbate. Fiscal federalism in ethiopia, fiscal federalism in ethiopia subject of this article, has been adopted within a unique political landscape of ethnic federalism. September, 2009 the intent of the ethiopian ethnic federalism was to create a more prosperous, just and representative state for its entire people.

Being one of the most diverse nations in the world, ethiopia is not an exception to be free from ethnic conflicts due to its weak political. This chapter aims at providing a general background about the politics of. Ethiopia must abandon ethnic politics or it will explode. Ethnic federalism closely examines aspects of the ethiopean case and asks why the use of territorial decentralism to accommodate ethnic differences has been generally unpopular in africa. The politics of ethnic identity and conflicts under ethnic federal system in ethiopia temesgen thomas halabo lecturer, wachemo university, hossana, ethiopia. The problem with the ethiopian federalism is not that it is sensitive to ethnic concerns or that it takes ethnic bonds into account in the making of ethiopias federal structure. The current regime in ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and redesigned. The interest in federalism among the constitution makers of ethiopia was a. Challenges and prospects paperback april 18, 2014 by mulatu amare author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. In particular, it discusses the two historical factors that influenced the ideology of ethiopian.

Multiethnic multinational federalism in plural societies. The attempt to build the identity of the state along a single language, for example, has not fully succeeded. Opinion the trouble with ethiopias ethnic federalism. Ethnic federalism in ethiopia is based on the federal constitution that came into. Challenge of ethiopian federalism on the right to freedom. Download pdf federalismandethnicconflictinethiopia. Ethiopia is a multiethnic giant with around 100 million people belonging to more than 80 ethnic groups and speaking many languages, giving its transformation greater regional significance. Ethnic federalism has been exploited to plant division among ethnic groups so as to institutionalize and facilitate rule by the tplf and other politically affiliated groups, representing a small proportion of the population.

Ethiopia has 99 problems but ethnic federalism is the least of them. Northeast african studies, volume 2, number 2, 1995 new series, pp. And yet, this pioneering experiment in ethnic federalism has been largely ignored in the growing literature on democratization and ethnicity in africa and on the accommodation of ethnic diversity in democratic states the aim of this book is to bring a much needed comparative dimension to the discussion of ethiopian federalism. Pdf the developmental state and ethnic federalism in. First, it examines the historical and ideological basis of federalism. Ethnic federalism in ethiopia part2 somalinationalregionalstatd jijiga, ethiopia october1999 bymarcmichaelson thesomaliregionisamongethiopiaspoorest,leastdevelopedandmost politicallytroubled areas. He uses two recent events to illustrate the supposed dangers posed by ethnic federalism. The system designed to fuse an unwieldy nation together is now tearing it apart.

Following the end of the war, the postconflict government led by meles zenawi needed to balance the demands of over 90 ethnic. Download pdf political parties in ethiopia free online. However, post1991 ethiopia s ethnic federalism is characterized by cultural pluralism, including language pluralism. Amharic is the working language of the federal government. Ethnic federalism in ethiopia abstract in 1991 ethiopia established an ethnic federal system that gave full recognition to ethnic autonomy, while maintaining the unity of the state. Ethiopia is an ancient country with a number of peculiarities. In ethiopia, however, ethno linguistic identities were already deeply imprinted before the adoption of ethnolinguistic federalism in 1994, as a result of the ethnolinguistic domination that had existed for so long. Despite being africas oldest independent country, ethiopia is one of africas poorest states, better known for its periodic droughts, famines, and intermittent civil conflicts. The factors that endanger the current system simultaneously suggest under what conditions the concept of ethnic federalism might succeed in the ethiopian context. When the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf ruling coalition established the system of ethnic federalism after coming to power in 1991, it served a clear purpose.

When ethnic federalism was put in place, it gave voice and legitimacy to. Ethnic federalism and its discontents crisis group africa report n153, 4 september 2009 page 2 ii. With the introduction of ethnic federalism in contrast to authoritarian and socialist unitary state, the politics of ethnicity was formally. The one prominent exception is ethiopia, which since 1991 has imposed a system of ethnicbased federalism that offers each ethnic group the right of selfdetermination. The reforms by the countrys new prime minister are clashing with its flawed constitution and could push the country toward an. Draft ethiopia ethnic federalism university of chicago law. It traces its origin to the kingdoms that emerged in the northern highlands in the fourth century. Since 1991, ethiopia has gone further than any other country in using ethnicity as the fundamental organizing principle of a federal system of government. In spite of all the criticism and skepticism, the ethiopian government claims it is committed to fully. Actors, power and mobilization under ethnic federalism, e.

Its new constitution created a federal system largely consisting of ethnic based territorial units. Actors, power and mobiliza tion under ethnic federalism, is made up of a laconic preface, eight. At the outset, it needs to be made clear that compared to the most oppressive form of unitary dergist government that ethiopia had, the federalism type of government that ethiopia is now. The particular focus is on the majang people, who inhabit the dense forests of gambella region. Accordingly, the research has established that the post 1991 ethnic conflicts in ethiopia consisted of multifaceted variables which made the conflicts simply appear as a mere interethnic differences.

Much has been written about ethiopias twentythree year experiment with ethnic federalism and scholars are seemingly asking the same. Teshomes partisan commentary is irresponsible, riddled with factual inaccuracies and removed from the reality as lived by the majority of ethiopians in 2017. How far ethnic federalism is a solution to problems of multiethnicity is yet to be seen. Ethnic federalism in ethiopia pdf ethiopia federalism. The new government publicly committed itself to three sets of fundamental reforms, namely.

A means for managing or a triggering factor for ethnic conflicts in ethiopia. If you think that ethnic federalism is a threat, it will be. At the same time, ethnic federalism is preferred to the. From autocracy to revolution, occasional publication no. In recent years, the majang have found themselves in contact with rapid industrialisation, which brought in. Accordingly, the research has established that the post 1991 ethnic conflicts in ethiopia consisted of multifaceted variables which made the conflicts simply appear as a mere inter ethnic differences. Under federalism through the 1990s, political representation and territorial administration were reorganised in terms of ethnicity. A stratum of the local elite of each ethnic group was encouraged to form an ethnic organisation as a platform for executive office.

Ethnic federalism and conflict in ethiopia african journals online. Understanding the future of ethnic federalism requires looking back to haile selassies nationbuilding efforts in the 20 th century to centralize and modernize ethiopia through the establishment of a dominant amhara identity at the expense of all other ethnic groups. Instability, corruption, andclanismhaveplagued the regional government. The pioneers of ethiopias ethnic federalism believe that the contemporary ethnolinguisticbased federal arrangement is a panacea for problems related to identity politics. Ethiopias recent experiment with ethnicbased federalism offers valuable lessons in constitutional accommodation of ethnicity in africa. The adoption of ethnic federalism in ethiopia was closely related with the problem of creating a state structure that could be used as instrument of managing the complex ethnolinguistic diversity of the country. This is despite recurrent scepticism about its desirability and appropriateness in a globalising world. The eprdfs ethnic federalism has not dampened con flict, but rather. Abiys approach will likely be to maintain regional ethnic federalism for administrative purposes, while relying on nationallevel parties for political organization at the federal level.

Posted in africa, analysis, ethiopia, news tagged 2011 ethiopia u. The first ones are the normative federalist ideologies which often 4 see. Is ethnic federalism really the biggest problem in ethiopia. Pdf weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia haymi. Ethiopias invention of ethnicbased federalism had been the center for academic and political debates for the past two decades.

The politics of ethnic identity and conflicts under ethnic. Unity v diversity ethiopias ethnic federalism is being. Abstract this paper examines ethnofederalism trackrecord on dealing with the indigenous communities who had lived in isolation from the rest of ethiopia until very recently. Ethiopian ethnic federal system is significant in that it provides for secession of any ethnic unit. In spite of these different perspectives, ethnic federalism was implemented in ethiopia since 1991. Dont let ethiopia become the next yugoslavia foreign policy. Po box 667, hosaena, ethiopia abstract ample research has been conducted about the federalism and the type of federalism yet the connection between ethnic federalism and the right to movement is not studied hence the main objective of the study is to assess the challenge of ethiopian federalism on the right to freedom of movement and residence. Ethiopia is a multinational country with about 85 ethnolinguistic groups and since the 1960s, it suffered from ethnoregional conflicts. According to ottaway, political activists believed that ethnic federalism in ethiopia was a recipe for state disintegration 12. This book provides a detailed empirical study of this system at work in the complex multiethnic environment of southern ethiopia. John mcgarry and brendan oleary, the political regulation of national and ethnic conflict, parliamentary affairs,vol. The politics of ethnicity in ethiopia actors, power and. This paper tried to look at the turnouts of the ethnic federalism implementation in ethiopia since 1991 focusing on the.