Sidama campaigners expect a referendum within a year on becoming a region after the Zone Administration in Hawassa voted for statehood. The constitutional demand follows deadly ethnic violence in southern Ethiopia and elsewhere in the country during the recent national political transition.
The July 18 decision was made after all 19 woreda governments in the Zone voted to push the case for a Sidama state in the last three weeks, said UK-based analyst Seyoum Hameso. The Fichee-Chambalaalla Sidama new year festival triggered fatal violence in mid-June, leaving 10 dead, 89 injured, and 20,000 mostly ethnic Wolayta displaced in Hawassa, according to the UN.
The self-rule request was today presented to the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Regional State (SNNPRS) administration, which is also based in Hawassa, the location of Ethiopia’s most expensive and successful industrial park. A similar process occurred in 2006 but a referendum was not held. Around 100 people may have been killed by security forces in 2002 when Sidama protested over their administrative rights.
The multinational federation’s constitution says a referendum should be conducted within a year and Sidama will get statehood if a majority in the Zone votes for it. Youth movement Ejjeetto is driving the campaign, which has broadly similar demands to Oromia’s Querro movement that organized protests and triggered political change.
Sidama is Ethiopia’s most populous zone and the autonomy demand goes back many generations, Seyoum said. The Sidama are a Cushitic people whose territory was conquered during Shewan military campaigns in late 1800s. A large majority are Protestant and they make-up around 60 percent of Hawassa’s population.
SNNPRS, which amalgamated five provinces of the Derg military regime overthrown in 1991, has 56 ethnic communities that comprise around one-fifth of Ethiopia’s 100 million people. The country’s smallest region, Harari, has less than 200,000 people, compared to the approximately 4-millon strong Sidama.
Sidamas feel increasingly marginalized and do not receive adequate government resources concomitant to their economic contribution from coffee production and other activities, Seyoum said. “Sidamas are angry. The lack of autonomy has been there all the time. In recent times, the expansion of Hawassa city into farmlands resulted in farmers being displaced and left vulnerable the same way as the Oromo farmers in Addis Ababa.”
Inter-communal violence
An online account of last month’s unrest blamed it on stone-throwing provocateurs at the festival and ethnic Wolayta security forces, who allegedly shot dead two Sidama students at the Hawassa Teacher Training College. A grenade thrown in Shammana town’s market in June killed one Oromo and four Sidama, the report said, but did not give a date. In separate accounts, witnesses reported Sidama nationalist chants and said Wolayta were attacked and their properties ransacked during the unrest.
The online account said Wolayta were bussed to Hawassa to pose as displaced people in order to increase their population in the city. No evidence was provided of such claims in the incendiary document that also blames the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front. The Wolayta should “desist from interfering on Sidama politics on Sidamaland, in particular, on Sidama Regional Question,” the document said. The Sidama National Liberation Front made similar comments on June 24. “We…strongly advise the Wolayta elites to refrain from meddling in the Sidama’s affairs including the quest of the nation for regional self-rule,” the rebel group said in the statement.
There are almost two million people displaced in Ethiopia due to inter-communal violence, according to the UN. This year there have been more than 600,000 Gedeo people forced from their homes by fighting with Oromo in their zone of the Southern Region and members of both groups have been displaced in West Guji Zone in Oromia.
The Government and partners have diverted $7 million for the $118 million needed until October to support displaced Gedeo and Oromo. A total of $1.6 billion is needed to “routinely” assist the 7.8 million Ethiopians needing aid. Only 15 percent of Ethiopia’s needs have been funded amid a global humanitarian crisis, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on July 17.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office on April 2, called for local administrators to resign in SNNPR after the violence. Zonal leaders and Regional Chief Administrator Dessie Dalkie stepped down, as did the Southern ruling party leader Shiferaw Shigute, a Sidama. He has since been appointed as an Ambassador.
Main photo: Faaro, a traditional singing and dancing performed by unmarried boys and girls during Fichee festival at Gudumaale. Credit: The Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
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Thanks for dislosing the premeditated displacement and slaughter of the Wolaytas in Awassa, even though the intention of this article was to justify their evil acts in the name of statehood.
Here is what the writer stated quoting the prepratos document:
“The Wolayta should “desist from interfering on Sidama politics on Sidamaland, in particular, on Sidama Regional Question,” the document said. The Sidama National Liberation Front made similar comments on June 24. “We…strongly advise the Wolayta elites to refrain from meddling in the Sidama’s affairs including the quest of the nation for regional self-rule,” the rebel group said in the statement.”
Even though justice was not served by the government, which is reluctant, the blood of the innocent Wolaytas is still crying for Devine justice from God.
Thanks for such hot information.
This ethnic conflict will not stop until until ethnic based regional federalism will stop. In southern nations, all nations are rushing to power succession either than rushing to develop his country Ethiopia. The sense of Ethiopianism has forgotten in the last 2 decades, the new prime minister has tried his best to restore this and he was successful with in 3 months but this situation should supported with launching new Structural Adjustment Policy(SAP) including new Federalism based on Geographical context rather than based on ethnic segregation which was the design of TPLF and has brought much communal conflict and operation of one nation over the other nation with in his own mother land Ethiopia.
Sidama is Ethiopia’s most populous zone – and yet instead of becoming greater with the rest of Ethiopian people , some are misleading the people to become smaller and smaller .. the paradox of our time – God help us !!!
It’s Just Constitutional Right of Sidama Zone for Statehood/ New hope for Ethiopia.
# I hope there is anyone who reasonably objects to the people’s demand and aspiration for statehood. No one, including EPRDF (both at the Federal and SNNPRS level) or any body else for that matter, can stand against the just demands of the people.
#I think the PM telling them about the confused structure of Debube region & it’s unimportance to Ethiopia!
#The structure is not feasible for administration & exposed to corruption, Ethnic-Conflict & morover it’s exposed to dispersed efferts to unity!
#He is telling them the end time for the confused Regional State People’s representatives & asking them what to do??
#Hope All would Say No to Debube Regional Structure!! Many scholars findings support this standing including Professor Beyene, Lidetu, even our PM. Dr. Abiy too!
Yes, the Sidama question is a just and legitimate question. It is a question to exercise their constitutionally recognized right to statehood (via self-determination and self-governance). It is no exaggeration to say that this is the culmination of the age old expression of the Sidama people’s aspiration to achieve self-governance.
Today’s decision is only the first step in a series of activities towards conducting a referendum on the matter. Technically, the case will now be submitted to the Council of Nationalities for approval. Once the approval is obtained, a referendum shall be organized within a year. If the referendum confirms the demand for separate statehood (which is the most likely outcome), then Sidama automatically becomes the 10th State constituting the Ethiopian Federation, thereby injecting an informal amendment to (at least) art 47 of the FDRE constitution.
There are those who are deriding, mocking, or otherwise undermining this decision today. The Sidama never demanded anything outside of their own legitimate rights. They have not done anything to harm any other person’s or groups’ rights or interests. There is no reason why anyone can object to this aspiration for statehood. The Sidama have a just cause. No one should be allowed to intimidate them or to shame them for demanding their rights.
While the process is on, the Sidama may do well to:
A. Start a good faith negotiation about borders, their capital (especially the manner, duration, and terms of cohabitation, at least temporarily, as a common capital of Sidama NR State and SNNPRS), and the modes of protection to be accorded to minorities, i.e., non-Sidamas, residing in the region);
B. Draft, adopt, and enact its constitution;
C. Constitute its own government institutions and assign officials as appropriate.
It is hoped that the Zone’s unanimous decision today will open up a new chapter in the development of the country’s constitutional processes and the jurisprudence thereof.
#SidamaStatehood #Self_determination #constlamendment
Ejjeetto would like to thank you(William Davison) on behalf of Sidama nation for your fair report.
Thank you William Davison for your real reports. The quest of Sidama is only being statehood. Peace is the clothes for Sidama.