Unraveling the Persistence of Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia: Examining Causes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajahs.v3i2.2575Keywords:
Ethnic Conflict, Federalism, Ethnic Federalism, EthiopiaAbstract
To solve the country’s long-standing political, socio-economic, and ethnic problems - including ethnic issues - the current Ethiopian government introduced ethnic federalism. However, ethnic disputes and tensions have emerged in many parts of the country. According to studies, there are conflicts and tensions all over the country. Conflicts between ethnic groups have not diminished but have even intensified. The primary theoretical framework for examining ethnic disputes in this paper is complexity theory. However, there are also other identity theories such as instrumentalism and primordialism. While previous studies have mainly focused on ethnic violence in post-1995 Ethiopia, the question of why ethnic conflict persists in the country has not been addressed. Ethnic-instrumentalist theories, social constructivism, and primordialism alone are not able to fully grasp the problem of Ethiopia. To fill this gap, the author has undertaken a thoroughly analysis of the reasons for the ethnic conflict in Ethiopia and its persistent nature. The authors believe that there is no single reason that is responsible for the persistent occurrence of racial conflict. Instead, it is a complex system of state and human interaction, such as the framework of federalism, the mobilization of elites, political rivalry, and historical narratives that separate different ethnic groups.
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