Ethnicity in ethiopia pdf file

Federalism and the accommodation of ethnic diversity. Issues of minority rights in the ethiopian federation. On the instantiation of political ethnicity, ethnicity is politicized, politics is ethnicized and ethnic groups tendentially become political formations whose. Addis negers staff fled the country after a government. Preventing further conflict and fragmentation in ethiopia. Soon after the coalition came together, it introduced an ethnic federal system of governance to try and address historic ethnic grievances by giving ethiopia s different regions the chance to. Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in africa and home to more than 80 ethnic groups. This paper is an investigation of the relationship between identity, politics, and rumours in jimma, ethiopia. According to a 20 world bank report, ethiopia had a population of roughly 94. On march 8, 2018, the ethiopian academy of sciences eas, in partnership with population reference bureau, celebrated international womens day in addis ababa with a roundtable discussion on social norms and gender inequality in ethiopia.

Capacity building and state formation following the failure of the structural adjustment programs in the 80s, a growing body of. Incidentally, the easy ascription of ethnic identities, especially by westerners studying politics and conflict in africa. There is not any one ethnic group that claims to be in a majority position at the federal national level. Oct 12, 2016 ethiopia is the 5th largest producer of coffee today and africas top producer. Ethnicity and the state in eastern africa edited by m. Actors, power and mobilization under ethnic federalism, e. Second, there persisted violent conflicts between various ethnic groups over a wide range of issues. Federalism is debatable not only in practice but also at theoretical levels. The oromo, amhara, somali and tigrayans make up more than threequarters 75% of the population, but there are more than 80 different ethnic groups. A means to an end daniel abebe the university of chicago law school draft prepared for conference from parchment to practice. Ethiopian livestock population trends, distribution and. The amhara and tigrean groups constitute approximately 32% of the population and have traditionally been dominant politically. Aug 12, 2014 the largest of the three groups are the somali, estimated to number nearly 900,000 in 1970. Ethnic diversity is one of the most important attributes of the population.

A brief recap on theoretical approaches to ethnicity and ethnic identity 42 situating folklore 44 identity and folklore 45 ethnic folklore 46 methodological approach 47 fieldwork and methods 50 chapter 3. Anthropologists recognize three major population groups in east africa today. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in. So far, ethiopia has conducted two decennial national censusesin 1984 and again in 1994. Drivers of ethnic conflict in contemporary ethiopia. A means for managing or a triggering factor for ethnic conflicts in ethiopia. The worlds major faiths face a test, and some religious leaders are failing by endangering human lives in the name of adhering to traditionand ushering in a new age of secularism in the process. Ethiopia s population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups. Political parties in ethiopia download ebook pdf, epub. After 20 years of tplfeprdf rule, the dominant rhetorical figure in ethiopian politics is that of ethnicity, which has permeated daily life and overtaken democratic. Abate mammo, a demographer, deflated the false sense of demographic reality in his article, population distribution in ethiopia. That ethiopia is a widely misunderstood nation, no less by its educated citizens, is a lamentable fact that finds confirmation in the current debates on the implications of the historic 2005 legislative elections. Pdf ethnicbased federalism and ethnicity in ethiopia. It should be noted that the abiy administration inherited around one million internally displaced people when taking office in april 2018, mostly because of the somalioromo conflict that peaked in intensity just before the change of government.

The planned 2004 census has unfortunately been postponed. The choice of ethiopia as a case study is in no way meant to suggest. Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia. Thousands flee ethnic conflict in western ethiopia bbc. Groups in existence in the twentieth century are biological and social amalgams of several preexisting entities. Marriage practices among the gidda oromo, northern wollega, ethiopia gemechu beyene tuskegee university, alabama, u. State formation and capacity in ethiopia between the legacy of a centralised past and the promises of a federalist present emanuele fantini department of political studies, university of turin introduction. Ethiopias ethnic violence history with oromos, amharas. Territorial autonomy for ethnic groups is an important component of ethiopian federalism designed to deal with the challenges of ethnic diversity. The imperial period 1974 ethiopia is the only african state never colonised by a foreign power.

Prime minister abiy ahmed, who took over in april 2018, has earned international praise for. Federalism in a context of extreme ethnic pluralism. Where applicable, decision makers must refer to the country policy and information note on ethiopia. Many somali clans and lineages living predominantly in ethiopia have close links with or are members of such groups in somalia.

The introduction of ethnic federalism in ethiopia after the fall of the marxist derg regime in 1991 has been the topic of a significant amount of academic discussion, but little attention has been given to the daytoday experience of this change. Community profiles for health care providers ethiopian australians ethiopia is located in the horn of africa, a region that has experienced decades of natural disasters, political unrest, war, drought and famine. D these days ethnicity is much talked issues in the contemporary world, especially in the third world, so called underdeveloped countries by developed western countries. Implementing new constitutions october 14, 2017 draft please do not cite or distribute i. Even for distinct schools of thoughts, federalism mean different. The aim of this paper is to examine the merits and the demerits of federalism. The sidama and the wolayta published on 01 jan 2011 by brill. Ethnicity and power in ethiopia edinburgh research archive. Reform in ethiopia 9 spikes in ethnic violence 11 3. Education in ethiopia ethiopia is unique from other african countries in that it was. Ethiopia s population is highly diverse with different languages and ethnic groups. A and assefa tolera addis ababa university, ethiopia abstract the present paper is a descriptive study of marriage ceremonies and types of marriage among gidda oromo, northern wollega, ethiopia. Tplf which fought a sixteen year war against the derg.

No claims are made regarding the accuracy of ethiopia people 2020 information contained here. This has forced millions of ethiopians to seek refuge within their own and in other countries 4. The afar the amhara the oromo the anuak the konso the sidamo the suri the tigrai the somalis the arabs the falasha. In ethiopia, there is even a ritualized and ceremonious way to make and drink coffee.

Marriage practices among the gidda oromo, northern. The introduction of ethnic federalism in ethiopia after the fall of the marxist derg. The failure of the opposition to fill the power vacuum left behind by siad barre after his flight into exile in 1991 marked the beginning of disintegration of somalia. Ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and restructured the regions along ethnic lines as soon as the eprdf took political power by overthrowing the marxist military government in 1991. Today, federalism is increasingly suggested and applied as a politicalconstitutional mechanism to accommodate ethnic pluralism. However, postrevolutionary ethiopia continued to exhibit ethnic tension. Ethnic identity and ethnic relations in the post 1991 ethiopia 8 2. Ethiopias displacement crisis is one of the worlds most. Evil days 30 years of war and famine in ethiopia an africa watch report september 1991 485 fifth avenue new york, ny 100176104 tel.

Contending nationalisms are not a new phenomenon in this part of the horn of africa. Violence in the country significantly increased and spread to new areas, and four times as many people were displaced as in the previous year. Thus, ethnic conflicts prevailing in ethiopia may be caused by such technicality problems and the ethnic federal arrangement in ethiopia needs an urgent reconsideration before the case moves to. This paper discusses the issue of federalism and conflicts in ethiopia by posing the question. Introduction much has been written about ethiopia s twentythree year experiment with ethnic. Arriola stanford university introduction what do the 2005 parliamentary elections reveal about the nature of opposition support in ethiopia. A stratum of the local elite of each ethnic group was encouraged to form an ethnic organisation as a platform for executive office. The fact is surprising in part because ethiopia is enjoying a period of unusually good publicity. The report examines the trends and levels of key demographic indicators for african countries, including population size, growth rate, distribu tion, fertility and mortality levels, age structure and international migration. Drinking, rumour, and ethnicity in jimma, ethiopia africa.

Most of its people speak an ethiosemitic or cushitic language which are both part of the afroasiatic language family, while others speak nilosaharan languages. Particularly urgent is an evolving crisis in the southern nations, nationalities and peoples regional state, where the sidama, the largest ethnic group in ethiopia s south, pledge to declare a new regional state on 18 july, potentially setting off unrest and clashes between sidama activists and other ethnic groups. Under federalism through the 1990s, political representation and territorial administration were reorganised in terms of ethnicity. Ethnicity in ethiopia is an enormously complex concept. During the last half a century, ethiopia has witnessed three regimes that differed from each other in ideology, internal composition, ethnic and social policies as well as foreign policy. Tplfs minority ethnic monopoly of the armed forces in ethiopia a revisit after four years oct 06, 2014 the monopoly of key government decision making positions in ethiopia by individuals of one ethnic group, the tplf led tigrean elite, over the past twenty three years has never had precedence in ethiopian history. It traces its origin to the kingdoms that emerged in the northern highlands in the fourth century. Population size and percentage of ethiopia s total population according to the 1994 and 2007 censuses follows each entry. Ethiopia s liberation by allied forces in 1941, haile selassie returned from britain and ruled until his overthrow in 1974. Click download or read online button to get the politics of ethnicity in ethiopia book now. While in many cases ethnicity and ethnic based antagonisms have indeed been a factor in conflicts and have often been suppressed within the structures of the postcolonial states with their seemingly sacrosanct boundaries, the political relevance of the phenomenon has varied widely. Social groups may also compete among themselves in the definition of their respective identities and in their attempts to impose their visions of integration and development on society. Draft ethiopia ethnic federalism university of chicago law.

Ethiopia figure analysis displacement related to conflict and violence context ethiopia experienced the highest number of new displacements related to conflict and violence in the world in 2018. Peoples region the case of ethiopias southern nations. Tplfs minority ethnic monopoly of the armed forces in ethiopia. There is growing concern that ethiopia s prime minister has failed to address rising ethnic tensions and violence. Jul 28, 2009 1 an earlier version of this article was presented at the seminar on ethnicity, politics and memory in ethiopia. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about ethiopia people 2020 should be addressed to the cia or the source cited on each page. The distribution of the major ethnic groups and their proportions in the population are provided in the appendix.

Some new perspectives, held at the african studies centre, leiden, in november 1996. Issues of minority rights in the ethiopian federation by taking the objective, subjective and the combination of both criteria of defining minorities, ethiopia is a land of minorities. This chapter aims at providing a general background about the politics of. I am most grateful to alessandro triulzi and stephen ellis for comments. The country enjoys diverse cultures such as world famous cuisines, woven cotton costume gabbi, the rastafarian movement, and ethiopian orthodox church among others. As ethiopia enters a demographic transition and its age structure matures, we must prioritize gender inequality and its implications for. Data available as of 19971998 were used to conduct this analysis. The eprdf is a coalition of ethnic political movements, dominated by the tigray peoples liberation front. Although the original physical differences between the major ethnic groups have been blurred by centuries, if not millennia, of intermarriage, there remain many who are distinct and unique. It is a list taken from the 2007 ethiopian national census.

How social norms relate to gender inequality in ethiopia. Ethnicity, economic conditions, and opposition support. Ethiopia is africas oldest independent country and its second largest in terms of population. Ethnicity and power in ethiopia edinburgh research archive the. Ethnic federalism and its discontents crisis group africa report n153, 4 september 2009 page 2 ii. See jon abbink, ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary ethiopia, 41 j. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Exploring the experience of the house of federation hof assefa fiseha, dr. Jan 24, 2008 ethiopia is a composite of more than 70 ethnic groups. Ethiopia is a mosaic of about 100 languages that can be classified into four groups. Traits based on ethnicity and religion are deeply ingrained and are not susceptible to elimination by ideology.

Here, a point that should not be missed in any intellectual venture to understand ethnicity is the paradox that surrounds identity politics. Therefore, the purpose from the very beginning was to recognize and provide full right all citizens in this regard. The short profile notes on ethnic groups of ethiopia. Community profiles for health care providers ethiopian profile. Evidence from ethiopia s 2005 elections leonardo r. Pdf this thesis explores why ethnicity was introduced as the basis for the reconstitution of the ethiopian state in 1991, examining the. The pmac undermined the patterns of ethnic relations prevailing in imperial ethiopia and eliminated the basis for amhara dominance. The politics of ethnicity in ethiopia download ebook pdf. Ethnicity and local identity in the folklore of the south. Constitutional protection of ethnic minorities at the regional level it is argued that in order to evaluate the capacity of the ethiopian federal structure to accommodate ethnic diversity and to regulate ethnic conflicts, the research cannot be limited to an analysis of the constitutional mechanisms at the federal level. The demographics of ethiopia encompass the demographic features of ethiopia s inhabitants, including ethnicity, languages, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Personal identity as well as cultural identity ethnic identity always materialise in relation to somebody else. Today, federal political systems are increasingly used by states with a multi ethnic population as a mechanism to accommodate the demands of their ethnic groups as well as to protect their territorial integrity. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in ethiopia 85 while using naked force to suppress the same demands on the other.

Click download or read online button to get political parties in ethiopia book now. The vast majority of languages belong to the semitic, cushitic, or omotic groups, all part of the afroasiatic language family. The historical trajectories of local ethnic polities. The number of somali in ethiopia in the late 1980sgiven the ogaden war and the movement of refugeeswas uncertain. Ethiopia s status as an independent african state allowed him to secure addis ababa as the headquarters for the newly created organisation of african unity oau in 1963.

Pre1991 ethiopia understanding the causes of ethnic based violence in ethiopia should start with contending nationalisms. This is a list of ethnic groups in ethiopia that are officially recognized by the government. The 1994 census data identified over 80 ethnic groups in the country. Ethiopians are ethnically diverse, with the most important differences on the basis of linguistic categorization. Journal of eastern african studies ethnicbased federalism and. Jul 18, 2019 ethiopia is a subsaharan country found in the horn of africa. Opposition to the government which provides more detail on the political context and treatment of. The country has been an ethnically divided society11 since at least the eruption of the ethiopian revolution of 1974. Conflict and state security in the horn of africa 43 1981 to resist authoritarianism and brutality against the deprived people.

Ethiopia must abandon ethnic politics or it will explode. Ethiopia, like most countries in africa, is a multi ethnic state. The other fundamental difference is that diversity is a superstructure for unity unlike the. Actors, power and mobiliza tion under ethnic federalism, is made up of a laconic preface, eight. Causes and drivers of ethnic extremism in ethiopia 17 the flaws of ethnic federalism 17 exploiting opportunities 18 a fracturing ruling party 22 unemployment, propaganda, and social inequality 27 porous borders 29 5. Apart from a fiveyear occupation by mussolinis italy, it has never been colonised. Some salient examples are rwanda, burundi and kenya. A comparative study by tewodros yalew submitted to central european university department of political science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts supervisor prof.