By RFPosted on 31-08-2019Modified on 31-08-2019 at 01:08

The Ethiopian Electoral Council announced Thursday (August 29th) that a self-determination referendum of the sidama people will be held on November 13 in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, a multi-ethnic province bordering South Sudan and Kenya.

After several weeks of discussions, the Electoral Council announced Thursday the holding of a referendum on November 13 to decide whether or not the Sidama nation will become a new state of the Ethiopian federation. In July, the situation was sharply tense after the sidamas leaders announced the unilateral proclamation of state autonomy, with deadly clashes between autonomists and federal security forces.

Despite this announcement, much remains to be done before the referendum. The National Electoral Council has set a date for the vote. But she also listed the essential projects to complete before. In particular, to determine a future status for the capital, Hawassa; guarantee the rights of other peoples living with the Sidamas; and a framework for the security forces.

Nationalist claims

All of this is the result of the last-minute negotiations that made it possible, in July, to narrowly avoid an armed confrontation. But it is also a sign that the Ethiopian federation is going badly, torn by the nationalist demands of its many peoples.

That said, the 3 million Sidamas carry a certain political and economic weight. It is in their region that Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, two high-value coffees, are grown. And this is also one of the jewels of modern Ethiopia: the Hawassa Industrial Park.

But now, their current province is also inhabited by more than fifteen other peoples, including the Wolayta, with whom relations are conflicting. If the referendum avoids violence, a "yes" will open the door, no doubt, to the claims of other peoples, also tired of the current situation.

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