Indigenous Institutions of Conflict Management in Northern Afar, Ethiopia

Keywords

Interethnic Conflicts, Conflict Management

Countries

Ethiopia

Objectives

To date, legal processes and the resolution of conflicts in Africa were highly centralised. Dispute cases at all levels tend to have been largely channelled through modern government set-ups and there seems an overemphasis of the role of the modern court as the primary agent of conflict resolution. However, a heavy reliance on modern courts may not provide a satisfactory answer to territorial and resource disputes. The aims of the study are (a) to understand the nature of intra- and interethnic conflicts in Afar land and its vicinity, (b) to examine local strategies for conflict mitigation both at the community and inter-ethnic level, (c) to investigate the institutional dynamics in conflict management among the Afar, (d) to assess the effectiveness of the local institutions in bringing sustainable solutions to conflicts, (e) to understand the functional relationships between local indigenous institutions of conflict resolution and modern judiciary structures, and (f) to identify the challenges and prospects of local institutions of conflict management in the wake of current socio-political changes at the national level particularly in connection with the new ethno-federal arrangement in Ethiopia.

Methodology

Qualitative Research; Comparative Studies

Team Members

Kelemework Tafere Reda

Partner Institutions / Funding Organizations

DAAD

Publications

Workshops / Conferences

Duration of the Project

10/02-09/05