The securitisation of terrorism in Ethiopia: An old practice in a New discourse

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines the securitisation of terrorism in Ethiopia with the objective of demystifying the way anti-terrorist legislation and counterterrorism discourse have been used to legitimise state terror in the country. To achieve this, the study adopts Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a method to analyse the data obtained from written and spoken texts. The analysis reveals that terrorism, defined as the threat or use of violence against non-combatants for political ends, has been endemic in Ethiopia. However, the narrative of terrorism as an existential threat to Ethiopia emerged immediately after the contested election of 2005. The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)-led government imported the Western counterterrorism discourse and officially adopted anti-terrorist legislation with the intention of disciplining the heightened political opposition and stifling critical voices that questioned its legitimacy in the aftermath of the election. Finally, it argues that the rebranding of terrorism as an existential threat to Ethiopia and the consequent adoption of anti-terrorist legislation are political strategies aimed at maintaining the ruling minority’s grip on political power by legitimising state terrorism in the country.

Keywords

• Ethiopia
• Securitisation
• Terrorism
• Counterterrorism
• Existential Threat