Ethiopia Insight published on 18 October 2025 a commentary titled "Only in Shards: Ethiopia's Three Decades of Ethnic Federalism" by Kinfu Adam.
The author argues that Ethiopia's experiment in ethnic federalism has been a high-risk venture in state fragmentation. It has fueled displacement, hardened divisions, and strained state capacity. Ethnic federalism entrenches insecurity rather than alleviating it. If there is a path forward, it lies in a courageous reimagining of the federal order.
