Revista de Artes e Ciências Sociais

The Right to Self-determination under the FDRE Constitution: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward

Abstract

Belete Mehari

The 1995 FDRE Constitution established ethnic federalism and restructured the regions along ethnic linguistic lines. Thus the constitution has given much protection to nation, nationality and people of Ethiopia to have the right to   self - determination up to and including secession as a solution to resolve past injustice and civil war. However, reality shows that Ethiopia is still very much controlled by central government, and the constitutional guaranteed rights of nationalities are not adequately implemented in a genuine manner. The most debating issue in the constitution has focused on the rights of nations, nationalities and peoples to secession and self-determination rather than establishing clear procedures for sufficient representation of the diverse ethnic groups in the government institutions. Really it is difficult to exercise secessionist self-determination in the context of Ethiopia which has been influenced by centuries of migration and interaction between ethnic groups, who have created a complex pattern of ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. The article thus attempts to highlight some of the outstanding controversial issues, and challenges of the external aspect of the right to self-determination. To this end, the study draws from extensive literature reviews, previous research works, and journal articles relating to the issue of the topic. And finally, conclusions and recommendations will be drawn.