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Assessment of Conflict Dynamics in Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia

Received: 15 September 2018     Accepted: 27 September 2018     Published: 10 December 2018
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Abstract

This article intended to assess conflict dynamics in Somali region based on secondary data, personal interviews and group discussions that was held in Gode, Kebridahar, Jigjiga and Dendema towns. Accordingly, the root causes of the post 1991 ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia associated with nation building process and centralization of power in Ethiopia and power sharing conflicts. The theoretical ground of this study claims that the conflict in Somali region is a clash between conflict actors over scarce resources and political power. After 2016 the conflict dynamics and the reasons for internal displacement in Somali region was changed since it was triggered by conflict between Somali-Oromia over access resource and regional boundaries. Data from IOM in 2018 indicate that around 61,907 internally displaced households due to Somali-Oromia conflict live in government collective centers majority in Qoloji (Babile), Moyale and Dire-Dawa. From the beginning the main actors of the conflict in the region includes armed clans, clan elders, local administrative, ONLF force, WSLF force, OLF force, regional polices, and federal military. In the general context, the Somali region conflict dynamics can be affected in the future by Oil and minerals extraction potential of the region, land resource and ownership, inequities in levels of development between and within regions of the country, Woreda or administrative distributions among the Somali-clans, political power division, and regional volatile political issues.

Published in Journal of Public Policy and Administration (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11
Page(s) 40-48
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Conflict, Ethnic Conflict, Government, Resources, Somali, Ethiopia

References
[1] Ahmed Shide (2005). “Conflict Is Everyday Business. Changing Nature of Local Conflict in Federal Republic of Ethiopia: The Case Study of Meiso District”. Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton.
[2] Asnake K., (2002). “Federalism: Some Trends of Ethnic Conflicts and their Management in Ethiopia”. http://www.1.un1.-hamburg.de/ice 2003politics.html.
[3] Asnake K., (2002). “Federalism: Some Trends of Ethnic Conflicts and their Management in Ethiopia”. http://www.1.un1.-hamburg.de/ice2003politics.html.
[4] Bekele (2010). “Conflicts between Afar Pastoralists and their Neighbors: Triggers and Motivations”. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, Vol. 4 (1) 2010, pp: 134–148.
[5] Catley and Iyasu (2010). “Moving up or Moving out? A Rapid Livelihoods and Conflict Analysis in Miesso-Mullu District, Shinile Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia”. Tufts University, USA.
[6] Central Statistical Agency (CSA) (2007). “Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey PreliminaryReport”.http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/Ethiopia_prelim_without_vaccination_final.pdf
[7] CHF (2006). “Grassroots Conflict Assessment of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia”. www.chfinternational.org
[8] Gebre, Ayalew (2001). “Pastoralism under Pressure: Land Alienation and Pastoral Transformation among the Karrayyu of Eastern Ethiopia, 1941 to the Present”. Maastricht Shaker.
[9] Getachew M. (2006). “Ethnicity and Ethnic-Conflict in Post-Federal Ethiopia: A case of Meiso District Conflict between Oromos and Somalis”. Research Paper.
[10] Getachew, Kassa (2001). “Among the Pastoral Afar in Ethiopia: Tradition, Continuity and Socioeconomic Change”. Utrecht: International Books in association with OSSREA.
[11] Hagmann, T. (2014). “Talking Peace in the Ogaden. The search for an end to conflict in the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia”. Nairobi: Rift Valley Institute.
[12] HRW (2012, 28 May). “Ethiopia: ‘Special Police’ Executive 10”. New York: HRW. Available at https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/28/ethiopia-special-police-execute-10[downloaded 30 May 2016].
[13] Jon G. Abbink (2003). “Ethiopia-Eritrea: proxy wars and prospects of peace in the Horn”. Journal of Contemporary African Studies. vol. 21(3), pp: 410.
[14] Joseph (1998). “Oldspeak vs. Newspeak,” Journal of Democracy, Vol 9(4), pp: 55–61; and Harbeson, “Is Ethiopia Democratic?”
[15] Keller E., (1995). “The Ethnogenesis of Oromo Nation and its Implications for Politics in Ethiopia,” Journal of Modern African Studies Vol, 33(4): 621–634.
[16] Lewis (1999). “Somali tradition has been described in the invaluable book know as: A pastoral democracy. Munster: Lit Verlag Munster-Hamburg and James Currey Publishers.
[17] Mark R (2002). “Top Secret UN Office Addis Discussion Paper”, UN-Emergencies Office for Ethiopia-Addis Ababa Raaso Regional News. http://www.waltainfo.com.
[18] OCHA (2018). “Ethiopia: Conflict Displacement Situation Report”. For Public Circulation, January, 2018. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[19] Pausewang et al., (2002). “Ethiopia since the Derg: A Decade of Pretensions and Performance”. For a discussion of the authoritarian rule of the ruling party, see J. Harbeson, “Is Ethiopia Democratic? A Bureaucratic Authoritarian Regime,” Journal of Democracy, Vol, 9(4), pp: 62–69.
[20] Ronald H. (2006). “Ethnic and Religious Conflict in the Southern Hemisphere”. EPU Research Paper, Issue 03/06.
[21] Tadase and Yohanes (2016). “The impact of local conflict on regional stability in Ethiopia: The case of Afar region”. Published by the Institute for Security Studies PO Box 1787, Brooklyn Square, 0075, (Tshwane) Pretoria, South Africa.
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  • APA Style

    Abduselam Abdulahi Mohamed. (2018). Assessment of Conflict Dynamics in Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia. Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 2(4), 40-48. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11

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    ACS Style

    Abduselam Abdulahi Mohamed. Assessment of Conflict Dynamics in Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia. J. Public Policy Adm. 2018, 2(4), 40-48. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11

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    AMA Style

    Abduselam Abdulahi Mohamed. Assessment of Conflict Dynamics in Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia. J Public Policy Adm. 2018;2(4):40-48. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11,
      author = {Abduselam Abdulahi Mohamed},
      title = {Assessment of Conflict Dynamics in Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia},
      journal = {Journal of Public Policy and Administration},
      volume = {2},
      number = {4},
      pages = {40-48},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20180204.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jppa.20180204.11},
      abstract = {This article intended to assess conflict dynamics in Somali region based on secondary data, personal interviews and group discussions that was held in Gode, Kebridahar, Jigjiga and Dendema towns. Accordingly, the root causes of the post 1991 ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia associated with nation building process and centralization of power in Ethiopia and power sharing conflicts. The theoretical ground of this study claims that the conflict in Somali region is a clash between conflict actors over scarce resources and political power. After 2016 the conflict dynamics and the reasons for internal displacement in Somali region was changed since it was triggered by conflict between Somali-Oromia over access resource and regional boundaries. Data from IOM in 2018 indicate that around 61,907 internally displaced households due to Somali-Oromia conflict live in government collective centers majority in Qoloji (Babile), Moyale and Dire-Dawa. From the beginning the main actors of the conflict in the region includes armed clans, clan elders, local administrative, ONLF force, WSLF force, OLF force, regional polices, and federal military. In the general context, the Somali region conflict dynamics can be affected in the future by Oil and minerals extraction potential of the region, land resource and ownership, inequities in levels of development between and within regions of the country, Woreda or administrative distributions among the Somali-clans, political power division, and regional volatile political issues.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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    AB  - This article intended to assess conflict dynamics in Somali region based on secondary data, personal interviews and group discussions that was held in Gode, Kebridahar, Jigjiga and Dendema towns. Accordingly, the root causes of the post 1991 ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia associated with nation building process and centralization of power in Ethiopia and power sharing conflicts. The theoretical ground of this study claims that the conflict in Somali region is a clash between conflict actors over scarce resources and political power. After 2016 the conflict dynamics and the reasons for internal displacement in Somali region was changed since it was triggered by conflict between Somali-Oromia over access resource and regional boundaries. Data from IOM in 2018 indicate that around 61,907 internally displaced households due to Somali-Oromia conflict live in government collective centers majority in Qoloji (Babile), Moyale and Dire-Dawa. From the beginning the main actors of the conflict in the region includes armed clans, clan elders, local administrative, ONLF force, WSLF force, OLF force, regional polices, and federal military. In the general context, the Somali region conflict dynamics can be affected in the future by Oil and minerals extraction potential of the region, land resource and ownership, inequities in levels of development between and within regions of the country, Woreda or administrative distributions among the Somali-clans, political power division, and regional volatile political issues.
    VL  - 2
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Author Information
  • Research Directorate, Kebri Dehar University, Kebridehar, Ethiopia

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