Challenges to National Unity in Ethiopia: an in-depth analysis from post-1991 to post-2018

Abstract

Ethiopia faces challenges in bringing diverse ethnic, cultural, and sociopolitical groups together to maintain its national unity. Thus, the study aims to identify major challenges in Ethiopia’s national unity from post-1991 to post-2018 and analyze if it is experiencing continuous attrition in post-2018.To do so, the research performed a qualitative inquiry that included both primary and secondary data. The study identifies ethnic federalism, ethnic politicization, the federal state design, and unresolved historical legacies as significant obstacles to Ethiopia’s national unity in the post-1991. It also highlights security dilemmas, impracticable hopes and real threats in the new administration, transition from democratic centralism to a unitary decentralized state is posing a threat to the country’s national unity in the post-2018. Furthermore, the study argued that post-1991 controversies over the country’s history, flag, national anthem, and constitution, as well as the existence of collapse state scenarios in the post-2018, can be evidence of the ongoing attrition of Ethiopia’s national unity. The study concludes that neither the post-1991 Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front nor the post-2018 ‘reformist administration’ effectively maintained Ethiopia’s national unity. Therefore, the Ethiopian government and citizens must work together to achieve national unity, as the country is deeply divided. A new social contract, established based on the will of the majority via genuine national dialogue, is needed for a more inclusive center and genuine self-rule in the country. This paves the way to avoid the vertical and horizontal trust deficit and helps to maintain the country’s national unity.

Keywords

• Challenges
• Ethiopia
• ethnic-politics
• national attrition
• national unity
• post-1991