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.