African Ethnic Groups In Ethiopia

Imagine having an identity and living amongst people that share this similar identity. Think about the day to day interactions you would have with those people; and then think about the other groups living amongst you. At some point, you question how do people of your common identity interact with each other and with outsiders of that community. Lately, I been questioning so; I am an Eritrean and both my parents are descendants of the Tigrinya tribe. Due to the recent events and tragedies happening amongst the Horn of Africa especially within Ethiopia and Somalia, I have been more drawn to investigate the relationship between the East African ethnic groups and tribes. The Horn of Africa, which comprises of the countries Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, is filled with many people of different ethnic and tribal backgrounds. Within these groups, they share many similarities and differences, …show more content…
Having such a large number of tribes and ethnic groups can cause instability within a state. “Ethnic Federalism and Its Potential to Dismember the Ethiopian State” a journal article written by Assefa Mehretu, provides an overview of the history and progress within Ethiopia’s tribal states and ethnic divisions. Mehretu discusses divisive architecture of hegemonic governance and regional development theories of cultural and functional integration as two objectives to discuss his framework. The killilochs, also known as tribal groupings within Ethiopia, are having many issues. Mehretu states,“The last three decades have amply demon- strated that ethnolinguistic separatist agenda have produced serious political and economic problems in Ethiopia” (Mehretu 129). Many of the ethnic and tribal groups within Ethiopia are having disputes, especially within state division and governmental power. Many of these groups are requesting to emancipate and form separate