Ethnic Relationships in Ethiopia: The Case Of Argoba and Their Neighbors
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Date
2006-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main focus of this paper is the ethnic relationships between the Argoba people
who currently live in the Argoba special woreda and the Afar and Amhara ethnic
groups who are residing in Dulecha and Ankober woredawoch respectively.
The Argoba are one of the few ethnic groups who live currently both in Afar Regional
State and other parts of the country. The Argobba are one of the Semitic-speaking
peoples, and their language is part of the south Semitic group of language. On the
basis of the new administrative division, the people are found spread in the Amhara,
Afar, Oromiya, and Harari Regions.
Partly based on secondary data, this paper will first review the ethnic conflict in the
horn of Africa, and second it deals with ethnic relationships in Ethiopia. After that, it
will outline the background of theArgoba people and their neighbors. The primary
data was collected during a field visit to Argoba, Dulecha and Ankober woredawoch
respectively for duration of two weeks. The primary data employed to collect
information were questionnaires, interview, focus group discussions, and personal
observations.
The paper tries to show the relationships of the Argoba with their neighbors based on
primary data collected through a fieldwork to the Argoba special woreda, Ankober
and Dulecha woredawoch. The researcher with his research assistants stayed two
weeks in the three woredawoch to collect information on the topic under
investigation.
The research stress the history of settlements of the Argoba to the present special
woreda, the historical and current relationships of the Argoba with their neighbors,
perceptions of the Afar and Amhara towards the Argoba ethnic group, initiation for
the establishment of the Argoba special woreda, impact of the new federalism
arrangement in the development of the Argoba special woreda.
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Keywords
Ethnic Relationships in Ethiopia