The Empowerment of Local Governments as a Prerequisite for Self Determination: The Assessment of Legal and Institutional Framework of Sidama Zone, in SNNPR
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Date
2015-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Self-determination as a sensitive content of world’s legal and political issue passed through
many ups and down to get the current international customary law status. It was contextualized
as per the dynamic nature of world political and legal realities. Accordingly in the time of
colonialism, it was considered as an apparatus of restoring independence whereas after the end
of colonialism the notion of self- determination become the issue of all ethnic groups all over the
world, which are snatched their political, economic and cultural rights by the clear tyrant nature
of governments or swallowed by the majority rule of democracy. Ethiopia is a good example of
trying to rule different ethnic groups in a single ruling system and by a single cultural oriented
ideology. Like other countries experiences such efforts of Ethiopia did not compromise the
diversity nature of the country and it becomes that self-determination is the way out of such
crisis. But due to the deeply divided nature of the peoples there is still a problem of
mainstreaming of the elements of self-determination. Beyond being part of the mere
administrative structure of government, local governments should be the apparatus of
mainstreaming self-determination since a single ethnic group occupy a local government. This
paper attempts to examine whether the current federal structure of Ethiopia does enable to
access the elements of self-determination by all nations, nationalities and peoples or not. It is
also tried to show the importance of local governments in the equally and justly accessing and
truly exercising the right of self-determination. To show such facts the Sidama zone legal and
institutional framework is examined
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Keywords
Self-determination, Self-government, disposal of natural resources, preserving of culture, history and language, empowerment of local governments, Sidama zone