Minority Rights Protection in Oromia National Regional State: A Case Study of the Zay People
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Date
2016-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This paper investigated the constitutional and practical protection of minorities, particularly the
Zay in Oromia regional state protected in compliance with the FDRE constitution. For this
purpose, secondary sources such as relevant legal literatures, books, laws, articles and journals
were analyzed while structured and unstructured in-depth interviews with key informants,
personal observation, and focus group discussions were the primary sources employed.
In the FDRE Constitution ethnic groups which are territorially defined have become the bearers
of sovereign power and entitled to the right to self-determination. Oromia is one of the nine
states though none of the regions are homogenous as there are dispersed internal ethnic
minorities which either belongs to the majority nation in other region or double minority groups
(which are neither dominant at national level nor at regional level) which have got very little
attention in the constitution of both levels. The Constitution of Oromia does not recognize the
existence and the distinct identity of ethnic minority groups in this region though the 2007
population census indicates that there are almost all dispersed ethnic groups in this region.
Numerically, each is below 1% except the Amhara people which constitute 7.2%.
The Zay are sparsely populated in the region no have absolute defined territorial boundary. No
guaranteed representation for Zay ethnic minority in this region at any administrative level. The
territoriality principle left the Zay unrecognized as nation, nationality and people. However, the
Zay have the right to non-territorial (personal) autonomy for representation, cultural and
linguistic rights in the region.
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Minority Rights Protection in Oromia National