Self-determination, secession, and indigeneity in Ethiopia's federation

Abstract

Both the Federal and Regional State Constitutions of Ethiopia provide provisions for self-determination and secession. Article 39(4) of the Federal Constitution allows secession to take effect as a last resort if all the preconditions are met. Likewise, regional state constitutions take identity, preservation, and promotion of heritage, language, culture, self-rule, and equitable representation into consideration. Despite the assertions of the defenders of self-determination, the purpose of this study is to show how the outer dimension of self-determination and secession is impractical in the Ethiopian case, and how self-determination is used to discriminate against non-indigenous communities in the name of self-rule. The study recommends that systematic discrimination against non-indigenous individuals be abolished and that free movement and the right to live anywhere on the country's territory be granted.