Ethiopia: Allocation of Administrative Offices Between Cities in Newly Established Cluster Regions in Southern Ethiopia Raises Discontent

9 August 2023
Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Addis Abeba — Residents of the newly established Southern Ethiopia region and the Kembata Tembaro zone of the forthcoming Central Ethiopia region, formerly part of the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's (SNNPR) have been voicing their concerns over a proposed distribution of administrative offices between major cities in the regions.

Residents of the Gamo Zone and Arba Minch city of the Southern Ethiopia region, which received unanimous approval from the House of Federation (HoF) in July, have staged protests after unverified document widely shared on social media revealed Wolayta Sodo of the Wolaita zone as the primary administrative and political center for the new cluster region.

Sadika Sime, a venerable elder of Gamo, recounted to Addis Standard about the protests that began on Saturday and the subsequent stay-at-home protest on Tuesday in Arba Minch city. Due to these demonstrations, numerous establishments, including the renowned local market "Bubu Meda," remained closed. Sadika highlighted the prevailing sentiment among residents, who view the office allocation as inequitable and question the future of the cluster region.

Echoing this sentiment, an anonymous resident disclosed the widespread discontent, noting promises made during the referendum that Arbaminch would serve as the capital of the new region. According to this resident, the circulated document's allocation is both "historically and culturally incorrect."

Both sources confirmed to Addis Standard that while the protests remained largely peaceful, a tragic incident took place wherein a man named Amanuel Mamo was fatally shot by a police officer during a demonstration in Kucha Woreda's Selamber town.

In the wake of recent protests, the Chief Administrator of Gamo Zone, Birhanu Zewde, engaged in discussions with regional activists and elders concerning the administrative blueprint of the emerging region, according to the region's communication office. During the dialogue, Birhanu informed participants that the new region would feature not just one, but six administrative centers. He emphasized that these centers were selected based on scientific criteria and would be developed with equal priority and attention.

Despite official statements from Gamo's administrator urging calm, residents who have spoken to Addis Standard revealed plans for a protest rally scheduled to take place on Thursday, 10 August.

The Southern Ethiopia region become Ethiopia's 13th regional state, carved out of six zones namely Wolaita, Konso, South Omo, Gamo, Gedeo and Gofa and five special woredas; Burji, Basketo, Ale, Amaro and Derashe following a referendum held on 06 February.

In a parallel development, Durame city in the Kembata zone also witnessed protests challenging the administrative office distribution for the proposed Central Ethiopia region. While an official endorsement from the House of Federation remains pending, council representatives from Hadiya, Halaba, Kembata Tembaro, Silte zones, and the Yem Special Woreda have collectively voiced their support for reorganizing their current administrative domains to usher in a new regional state.

This initiative has been under review by senior officials from the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) since November. Nonetheless, a leaked proposal detailing office allocations has been a catalyst for dissent, especially among residents of the Kembata Tembaro zone, who perceive the distribution is skewed in favor of a particular zone.

Offering further insight into the situation, Alemaw Legesse, a youth leader and active participant in the protests, communicated to Addis Standard about the palpable tension in the Kembata zone, Durame city. Almaw recounted a series of events that included a major protest on Friday and subsequent stay-at-home strikes over the weekend in Durame city.

He pinpointed the crux of the discontent to be the allocation of a single office to the Kembata zone, suggesting potential favoritism in the proposal which reveals Hossana city of the Hadiya zone to be the primary administrative capital of the forthcoming region. Furthermore, Almaw divulged that he, alongside several colleagues, had been arrested and mistreated during the protests, though he has now secured his release on.

Attempts by Addis Standard to reach local officials seeking further comments have been unsuccessful. AS

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