Ethnic federalism, conflict, and displacement in Ethiopia’s Metekel Zone

ABSTRACT

In this article, we examine conflict and displacement in one of Ethiopia’s conflict hotspot areas, namely Metekel. The authors examine if ethnic federalism has negatively contributed to these conflicts and if so how. By examining the conflict and displacement events between April 2018 when Ethiopia under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed started its latest political reform and August 2021 when data collection for this article ended, the authors argue that those conflict events are embedded into the nature of the federal system. The design of the federal system divides communities into ‘indigenous’ and ‘non-indigenous’, which creates a fertile ground for conflicts. Divergent political forces manipulate such divisions in society. Such internal factor for conflict is also manipulated by inter-state insurgencies and regional power players. Taming the conflict in Metekel or the country at large may require taming the political system itself because it is based on divisive and exploitative ethnic federalism that fosters conflict among ethnic groups. To develop this article, we collected data through desk reviews and interviews between April 2018 and August 2021.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnic federalism ethnic conflict
• displacement
• Metekel
• Ethiopia

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

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Tirsit Sahledengil

Tirsit Sahledengil is a PhD Student at the Department of Social Anthropology and researcher at the Institute for Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University. She is currently working on topics related to forced displacement and its political and gender dimensions.

Desalegn Amsalu

Desalegn Amsalu is an Associate Professor of Social Anthropology and Head of the Research Unit at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University. He completed his dissertation in 2016 in “History, Memory, and Victimhood among the Kumpal Agaw, Northwest Ethiopia”. His research activities focus on ethnic minorities, ethnic identity, inter-ethnic relations and the lived experience of ethnic groups under Ethiopia’s ethnic federalism. He has also published on topics related to social marginalization and legal pluralism.