Presented for National Debate
By
Engidashet Bunare (Water Engineer) and
Shiferaw Lulu (Hydrogeologist)
E-mail:
engidashetbh2012@gmail.com / engidashetbh2000@yahoo.com
shiferawlulu@gmail.com
August, 2018
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
6.4.3 Proposed Federal Administrative States
Accordingly, the “National/ Regional self- Governments Establishment proclamation No 7/1992 was promulgated” with a view to giving effect to the right of Nations, Nationalities and peoples to self-determination.
The nine National Regional Self-governments, which were established during the transitional period, are incorporated in to the new Constitution and renamed regions that make up the Ethiopian Federation (Art. 46 (1)). These regions are:1) the Region of Tigray, 2) the Region of Afar, 3) the Region of Amhara, 4) the Region of Oromia, 5) the Region of Somalia, 6) the Region of Benshangul-Gumuz, 7) the Region of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and peoples, 8) the Region of Gambela Peoples, 9) the Region of Harari People (Art. 47, (1), (1-9).
Such arrangement created the prevailing negative impact,.i.e. ethnic based region/state conflict between: Oromo and Somali; Oromo and Amhara; Oromo and Southern Nation Nationalities; Benshangul-Gumuz and Amhara, Tigray and Amhara, etc., Further, the impact prevailed within the same region, i.e. conflict between: Sidama and Wolayita; Gurage and Kebena.
To get rid of this deeply entrenched ethnic based state system and to preserve Ethiopia from fracturing across Kilil lines and ultimately disintegrate into several ungovernable mini states, we have to change the States system and redrawing viable administrative states/provinces that contribute to minimize divisiveness, and remove the negative impact of the ethno-Kilil / regional system.
In order to alleviate the current ethnic based states administrative boundaries and national related conflict issues, we recommend/propose alternative solution to use the administrative regional states system based on river basin hydrological boundary in changing the Ethiopian government state structure and political divisions of the country. Such state boundary arrangement could also help smooth development intervention i.e. planning, implementing and managing the water and land resources sustainably without conflicts of resources allocation and prioritization of project and programs. Such set up will pave the ways to addressing community of interest equitably without any ethnic conflict based on impartial system in harmony with national interest and
Proposed New Ethiopian Government Administrative Boundary System For Unified Nation Building
addressing the need of the present society without compromising the needs of the future generation.
Therefore, we recommended/proposed the following eight river basin states for better development/ civilization, and greatness of the nation as to better facilitate national cohesion:
1) Abay basin state;
2) Awash, Ayisha and Denakil basins state;
3) Baro-Akobo basin state;
4) Genele-Dawa basin state;
5) Tekeze and Mereb basins state;
6) Wabi-shebele and Ogaden basins state;
7) Omo-Ghibe basin state; and
8) Rift valley Lakes basin state;
Proposed New Ethiopian Government Administrative Boundary System for Unified Nation Building (eight river basin states)