Ethnic Federalism, Exclusionary Self-Determination Rights and Conflict in Ethiopia: Consociational Democracy as an Alternative Approach to Peace and Security

Abstract

Ethiopia’s 1995 Constitution ostensibly created an accommodative multicultural federal governance structure often known in the academic literature as ‘ethnic federalism’. Since then, political inclusion, socio-economic justice and the federal system’s ability to accommodate diversity as well as end conflict in Ethiopia have dominated government rhetoric. However, this chapter argues that the federal system has also harboured exclusion and stoked conflict because of one ethnic group’s claim to domination of an administrative territory. The multi-ethnic community of Yeki Woreda in southern Ethiopia is examined as an example of a common phenomenon elsewhere in the country to illustrate the federal system’s failure to accommodate dispersed ethnic communities and the ensuing ethnic conflict. A more responsive governance alternative based on a ‘consociational democracy’ model is proposed, which would enable ethnic-based power-sharing agreements for minorities in the same political arena at sub-national level. While it suffers from some limitations, Lijphart’s ‘consociational democracy’ model appears to be the most capable of dealing with, if not eliminating, these problems and ultimately regaining peace among multi-ethnic communities.