One country – two citizenships: the status of settlers in Benishangul-Gumuz Regional Sates (BGRS) of Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Migration of people from a certain area to a new destination is as old as human history. It is often made as a result of factors necessitating the movement either in the form of pull and push factors. In Ethiopia too, there has been various peoples’ movements since whenever in history from their home areas to new destinations across the country. Some have resulted for permanent settlements and full-fledged citizenship in the areas they settled but it has also produced very complicated relations in some. Besides individual oriented movements in search of better opportunities, there were also state operated movements based on the severity of circumstances. This paper, therefore, is dedicated to comment on the political and citizenship status of state operated settlers in Ethiopia in light of the experiences of Settlers in Asossa woreda, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State (BGRS) of Ethiopia.

KEYWORDS:

• Derg settlers
• citizenship status
• natives vs. non-natives
• settlers political rights

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. FDRE Constitution, Article 39 (1–3). Firsthand information was gathered during June-July, 2011 and August-September, 2018.

2. The Amhara Constitution, recognizes the equality of all ethnic minority groups residing in the region referring to the Preamble as ‘Peoples of the Amhara National Regional State’. it further stipulates under Article 9 that the ‘supreme power of the national regional state resides in the hands of peoples of the Amhara region’ and guaranteed representation of ethnic minorities in the regional parliament under Article 48(2) and established three different ethnic-based territorial entities (the Himira, Awi, and Oromo).

3. FDRE Constitution Article 38 Sub-article 1(C).

4. One of the five host ethnic groups in BGRS with highest demographic size and dominantly lives in Asossa Zone.

5. The 1995 electoral law of Ethiopia proclamation no. 111/95 art.38(1(b)).

6. Addis Zemen Gazeta, Megabit 05, 2001 E.C.

7. Proclamation no 111/95 article 38(1(b)).

8. FDRE Constitution, Article 38 sub-article 1(a-c).

9. FDRE Constitution Article 8, BGRS Constitution (2002) Article 10.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aweke Amare Kenaw

Aweke Amare Kenaw, Assistance Professor of Peace and Security Studies, Dire Dawa University, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.