Anthology of Peace and Security Research Volume 3 Institute for Peace and Security Studies in Collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia December, 2012 Anthology of Peace and Security Research Volume 3 Institute for Peace and Security Studies in Collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia December, 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Table of Contents Introduction, By Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe i Preface, By Arne Schildberg iii Section 1 1 Dynamics of Inter-Communal Conflict in North-East Ethiopia: The Case of Wejerat People and Their Neighboring Afar. Abraha Tesfay Chapter One 4 Introduction Chapter Two 13 Nature and Context of the Wejerat-Afar Conflict and Interaction Chapter Three 19 The Contemporary Wejerat-Afar Conflict Dynamics and Interactions: Data Analysis and Presentation Chapter Four 58 Conclusion and recommendations References 66 Section 2 71 Entrenching the Culture of Peace in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities. Alagaw Ababu Chapter One 74 Introduction Chapter Two 79 Conceptual Framework Chapter Three 84 Challenges of Building the Culture of Peace Chapter Four 108 Prospects for Building the Culture of Peace Chapter Five 117 Summary and Conclusions References 120 Section 3 125 Religious Tolerance and Tensions between Orthodox Christianity and Islam Religion in Gondar Town, North West Ethiopia. Haileyesus Muluken Chapter One 135 Introduction Chapter Two 141 Research Methodology Chapter Three 146 Features of Religious Tolerance and Tensions in Gondar Town Chapter Four 165 Major Actors and Manifestations of Tolerance and Intolerance Chapter Five 175 Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations References 178 Section 4 189 Trends and Responses to Terrorism in the Horn of Africa: The Ethiopian Experience. Muluwork Gebre Gessesse Chapter One 192 Introduction Chapter Two 200 Review of Related Literature What is Terrorism? Chapter Three: 215 Terrorism in Ethiopia and the Horn: Analysis and Findings Somalia: A Failed State Chapter Four 243 Conclusions and Recommendations References 248 Section 5 253 Ethnic Conflict Management and Conflict Transformation: The Case of Derashe and Konso in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) Yidneckachew Ayele Chapter One 258 Introduction Chapter Two 267 The Derashe-Konso Conflict Chapter Three 278 The Derashe-Konso Conflict Management Process Chapter Four 293 The Derashe-Konso Conflict Management in and under Transformation Chapter Five 301 Summary and Conclusion References 305 Anthology of Peace & Security Research Introduction It has been over two years since the Institute for Peace and Security Studies of Addis Ababa University made the decision to publish five selected theses from each graduating class. There are two objectives for this initiative. First, we aim to disseminate research findings to policy makers and scholars. Second, we want to encourage students to be thorough in their research. To date, the Institute has published two books that have been widely circulated to academics and policymakers in Ethiopia. The publications reward students for their efforts in producing high quality theses. Many of our students are able to meet the demanding requirements of their degrees and also produce high quality theses for publication. This has been a source of encouragement for us to continue with this project. The five selected theses raise relevant policy issues in peace and security. The arguments and findings stated in each of the theses in no way represent the opinion of the Institute and are strictly owned by their writers. The first thesis in this anthology was written by Abraha Tesfay, who discusses the dynamics of inter-communal conflict in North-East Ethiopia by using the cases of the Wejerat in Tigray and neighboring Afar. The study emphasizes the underlying causes, dynamics and trends of the conflict, recognizing that this requires an understanding of the relationship between the two groups in connection with their historical legacy during times of both peace and instability. The culture of interdependence and symbiotic relations between the two communities known as fukur (close friendship) and gereb (joint institution to solve conflict) have now become problematic. This study illustrates the gravity of the problem by underscoring the importance of timely intervention and grassroots level studies that focus on addressing root causes rather than treating symptoms of already existing problems. The second paper was written by Alagaw Ababu and titled, “Entrenching the culture of peace in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities”. This study examines the culture of peace across the aspects of democracy, non-violent political struggle, and inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance and solidarity in Ethiopia. The paper discusses some of the alleged challenges in building a culture of peace. These constraints include authoritarian political culture, lack of inclusiveness of the democratization process, unfavorable socio-economic conditions and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A summary of research findings and key priority areas is then presented. Haileyesus Muluken wrote the third paper, titled, “Religious Tolerance and Tension between Orthodox Christianity and Islam Religion in Gondar Town, North West Ethiopia”. The findings of this study reveal the existence of various causes and actors in the conflict between Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Gondar town. As a result, i Anthology of Peace & Security Research provocative religious propagation, lack of a clear legal regime regarding religious matters, religious extremism, lack of understanding and misapplication of freedom of religion, new identity consciousness, lack of good governance, competition over ritual and burial sites, historical factors, national religious problems, and globalization and external involvement were found to be the causes of religious intolerance between the two communities. The fourth paper, “Trends and Responses to Terrorism in the Horn of Africa: The Ethiopian Experience” by Muluwork Gebre Gessesse, identifies multiple causes of terrorism for instance the collapse of the Somali state, poverty, ideological differences, and religion as an organizing principle for terrorist activities. Fuelled by sophisticated international networking, financing and technology, fertile ground for the prevalence of terrorism has been created by loosely controlled and porous borders, conflicts among divided communities and firearms. Considering the trends, consequences and means employed to perpetrate these acts, terrorism is a serious threat to the overall well being of the sub-region. Hence, preventive and defensive mechanisms have been recommended as counter terrorism measures. The fifth paper, written by Yidneckachew Ayele, is titled, “Ethnic Conflict Management and Conflict Transformation: The Case of Derashe and Konso in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR)”. The main objective of this study was to explore transformative peace building in ethnic conflict management in the Light of the recent experiences of the Derashe and Konso ethnic groups in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR). The paper attempts to elucidate the relevance of conflict transformation theory in establishing internal harmony and the co-existence of different ethnic groups. The study discovered the relevance of both constitutional macro-political decisions and micro-level ethnic conflict management processes in exploring and adapting transformative strategies of bottom-up peace building. The study also produced analytical information about the nature of conflict between the Konso and Derashe ethnic groups, the conflict management process and its transformative dimensions. I hope these selected theses will advance your knowledge on research in the area of peace and security. Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe Director Institute for Peace and Security Studies Addis Ababa University ii Anthology of Peace & Security Research Preface This publication is a collection of five theses submitted to the Institute of Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University. The realization of this publication was a true partnership between two institutions: the Institute of Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), which share a common interest in education, research, dialogue, and international understanding. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is a German political foundation committed to the values of social democracy. It runs various projects in more than 100 countries. The Foundation promotes dialogue on democracy and development broadly-contributing to peace and security and the maintenance of solidarity in a globalized world. FES Addis Ababa is also a part of a close network of FES offices in Eastern Africa. It works closely with other offices in Nairobi, Kampala, Dar Es Salam and Khartoum. Within this network of Eastern African Offices, FES Addis is specializing in Security Policy Issues. Actually, it is the regional competence center on Security Policy for FES Eastern African regional work FES would like to extend its gratitude to its partnering organization IPSS for the