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Violence and the Crisis of Conciliation: Suri, Dizi and the State in South-West Ethiopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

J. Abbink
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Abstract

This article examines the social and political background of escalating violence between ethnic groups in south‐western Ethiopia who until recently had customary and ritually sanctioned ways of resolving conflict. It highlights the impact of the emerging state hegemony in a local setting on ethnic groups not yet involved in the global political economy. The account also indicates the changing arenas of ‘ethnic’ self‐definition and economic opportunity for local groups in post‐1991 Ethiopia. As the report of a big reconciliation meeting held between the government and the groups involved (and discussed here) makes clear, in the efforts of state agents to mediate emerging conflicts in conditions of increasing resource scarcity and identity struggle, the use of customary mediation mechanisms and their cultural symbolism was rhetorically recognised. But at the same time efficient mediation was structurally impeded by the very nature of the exercise of authority by the agents of the state and by their incapacity to implement practical measures to establish local peace. This failure to reconstitute a new political arena of conflict resolution was matched by the inability of the (representatives of the) ethnic groups concerned to redefine their relationship in a constructive and culturally acceptable manner.

Résumé

Cet article examine le contexte social et politique dans lequel s'inscrit l'escalade de la violence entre groupes ethniques du sud‐ouest de l'Ethiopie qui, jusqu'à une période récente, résolvaient leurs conflits au moyen de méthodes consacrées par la coutume et le rituel. Il souligne l'impact de l'hégémonie étatique naissante, au niveau local, sur les groupes ethniques restes à l'économie politique mondiale. Cette étude décrit également l'évolution des domaines propices au développement économique et à la détermination “ethnique” individuelle des groupes locaux dans l'Ethiopie d'après 1991. Comme le montre clairement le compte‐rendu d'une grande réunion de réconciliation rassemblant le gouvernement et les groupes concernés (étudiés dans cet article), le recours à des mécanismes de médiation coutumiers et à leur symbolisme culturel était reconnu en théorie dans le cadre des efforts de médiation engagés par les représentants de l'Etat face aux conflits naissants sur fond de pénurie croissante des ressources et de lutte identitaire. Or, dans le même temps, l'efficacité de la médiation était entravée dans sa structure par la nature même de l'exercice du pouvoir par les représentants de l'Etat et par leur incapacité à mettre en œuvre des mesures pratiques pour instaurer la paix locale. Cette inaptitude à reconstituer un nouveau champ politique de résolution des conflits avait pour parallèle l'inaptitude des (représentants des) groupes ethniques concernés à redéfinir leur relation de manière constructive et culturellement acceptable.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 70 , Issue 4 , November 2000 , pp. 527 - 550
Copyright
© Edinburgh University Press 2000

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