The Right to Self-Determination of the Agew People in Tigray Regional State: A Quest For Securing Territorial/Non Territorial Autonomy

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Date

2024-05

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

According to scholars in the contemporary international human rights laws, the right to self-determination is defined as a compound of rights comprising freedom, equality, cultural and democratic rights to make people exist and develop among and between themselves with their respective distinct characteristics respected; and its conception is shifted away from colonial self-determination towards internal self-determination giving due attention for strong protection of political, cultural and language autonomy on a territorial or non-territorial basis. In this regard, the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1995), recognizes the right to self-determination and grants every Nation, Nationality and Peoples of the republic the right to self determination up to secession including the right to establish institutions of government in the territory it inhabits and the right to equitable representation at regional and federal governments. Following this the constitution of the Tigray Region provides that the indigenous inhabitants of the region are the Tigray, the Kunama and the Irob ethnic groups but it is silent about the existence of Agew people who are historical inhabitants of the region let alone to allow the right to self-determination. In contrast the Agew people living in the Amhara Region, have territorially defined and established their own self-governing institution. Therefore, this research is intended to examine the legal and practical responses of the TNRs towards the right to self-determination of the Agew people in the regional state. The study has implemented qualitative method of research using descriptive analysis; and for this reason the most notable primary data was obtained from related laws and the most informed members of the study area. The finding of the study shows that for the last 33 years the Agew people in the TNRs could not exercise their constitutional right to self-determination. Hence the writer argues that, the Agew people in the TNRs are historical inhabitants to the region and therefore the regional state has to take measures to recognize their indigenousness; and they have to be enabled to exercise their right to self-determination and combined rights in a territorial or non-territorial framework of autonomy.

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Keywords

the Agew people, the right to self-determination, Territorial Autonomy, non Territorial Autonomy, Tigray Region.

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