In 1994 Ethiopia introduced a federal system of government as a national level
approach to intra-state conflict management. Homogenisation of cultures and
languages by the earlier regimes led to the emergence of ethno-national movements
and civil wars that culminated in the collapse of the unitary state in 1991. For this
reason, the federal system that recognises ethnic groups‟ rights is the first step in
transforming the structural causes of civil wars in Ethiopia. Against this background
this research examines whether the federal arrangement has created an enabling
environment in managing conflicts in the country. To understand this problematic,
the thesis conceptualises and analyses federalism and conflict management using a
qualitative research design based on in-depth interviewing and content-based thematic
analysis – taking the case study of the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state.
The findings of the study demonstrate that different factors hinder the federal process.
First, the constitutional focus on ethnic groups‟ rights has led, in practice, to lessened
attention to citizenship and minority rights protection in the regional states. Second,
the federal process encourages ethnic-based elite groups to compete in controlling
regional and local state powers and resources. This has greatly contributed to the
emergence of ethnic-based violent conflicts, hostile intergovernmental relationships
and lack of law and order along the common borders of the regional states. Third, the
centralised policy and decision making process of the ruling party has hindered
genuine democratic participation of citizens and self-determination of the ethnic
groups. This undermines the capacity of the regional states and makes the federal
structure vulnerable to the dynamics of political change. The conflicts in BenishangulGumuz
emanate from these causes, but lack of territorial land use rights of the
indigenous people and lack of proportional political representation of the nonindigenous
people are the principal manifestations.
The research concludes by identifying the issues that determine the sustainability of
the federal structure. Some of them include: making constitutional amendments which
consider citizenship rights and minority rights protection; enhancing the democratic
participation of citizens by developing the capacities of the regional states and
correcting the organisational weakness of the multi-national political parties;
encouraging co-operative intergovernmental relationships, and maintaining the
territorial land use rights of the Benishangul-Gumuz indigenous people