(July 17, (Daily Mail))--The green, blue and red flag of the Sidama people flutters defiantly above government buildings in a southern Ethiopian city where leaders are on the brink of declaring a breakaway region. The Sidama say they plan to unilaterally declare their own federal state this week -- a move analysts say could inflame Ethiopia's political crisis and lead to bloodshed.
In Hawassa, the would-be capital of the proposed state, motorbike riders blared their horns on Monday as young men ran through the streets waving flags and singing songs in anticipation of the announcement. The feared showdown touches on the issue of autonomy -- the bedrock of a federal system designed to provide widespread ethnic self-rule in a hugely diverse country.
At present, Ethiopia is partitioned into nine semi-autonomous regions. The constitution requires the government to organise a referendum for any ethnic group that wants to form a new entity. The Sidama have agitated for years to leave the diverse Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of which they are a part, and create their own state.
The dream gained fresh momentum after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power last year promising wide-ranging reforms. But his government has dithered on responding to the request for a referendum. Under the constitution, the vote must be held within a year -- a deadline that expires Thursday.
"If the government does not come back with a decision on this by Thursday, we will enforce the law by going to the zonal authorities," Dukale Lamiso, president of the opposition Sidama Liberation Movement, told AFP. Read more from Daily Mail»
In Hawassa, the would-be capital of the proposed state, motorbike riders blared their horns on Monday as young men ran through the streets waving flags and singing songs in anticipation of the announcement. The feared showdown touches on the issue of autonomy -- the bedrock of a federal system designed to provide widespread ethnic self-rule in a hugely diverse country.
At present, Ethiopia is partitioned into nine semi-autonomous regions. The constitution requires the government to organise a referendum for any ethnic group that wants to form a new entity. The Sidama have agitated for years to leave the diverse Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of which they are a part, and create their own state.
The dream gained fresh momentum after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power last year promising wide-ranging reforms. But his government has dithered on responding to the request for a referendum. Under the constitution, the vote must be held within a year -- a deadline that expires Thursday.
"If the government does not come back with a decision on this by Thursday, we will enforce the law by going to the zonal authorities," Dukale Lamiso, president of the opposition Sidama Liberation Movement, told AFP. Read more from Daily Mail»
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