Ethiopian History Haunts Nation-building Efforts

 Ethiopia Insight published on 22 January 2023 a commentary titled "Ethiopian Nation-building Is Haunted by Its Troubled History" by Muktar Ismail, former advisor to the Somali Regional government and former UN staff member.

The author argues that Ethiopia has not had a history of a deliberate program to build national unity.  Internal conflicts that arose over a century ago continue to this day.  The wars in Tigray and Oromia are examples of this history.  Ethiopia needs to launch a transitional justice and reconciliation process with the aim to end its culture of impunity around past and present abuses.  

South Sudan and the Federalism Debate

The Juba-based Sudd Institute published on 18 May 2017 a policy brief titled "Federalism Debate in South Sudan: Laying the Foundation for Acceptable, Responsive, and Inclusive Governance" by Abraham Awolich.

Some 86 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the current system of government in South Sudan while 83 percent supported the establishment of a federal system of government. They rejected any possibility of returning the country to the former ten states and they were evenly split over the issue of twenty-eight states.

South Sudan and National Unity

The Juba-based Sudd Institute published on 18 May 2017 a study titled "The State of the South Sudanese National Unity" by Abraham Awolich, Nhial Tiitmamer, and Augustino Ting Mayai, all with the Sudd Institute.

The study discusses the state of South Sudan's national unity. Some 75 percent of respondents suggested that South Sudan currently suffers the absence of national unity; this results from prevailing lack of a sense of common purpose, justice, and inclusive and functioning social contract between the state and the people.