This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, the people of Sidama in Ethiopia made history by voting overwhelmingly in favor of autonomy, a move that could inspire other ethnic groups to push for similar rights in Africa's second most populous country.
The official results were announced by Wubshet Ayele, deputy head of the National Electoral Board, in Hawassa, the regional capital, which is roughly 200 kilometers south of Addis Ababa.
"The November 20 polls was peaceful and didn't have major logistical challenges, although in some places there were larger than projected queues of voters," Ayele said.
With over 2.27 million people participating in the referendum, less than two percent chose to remain in the existing federal region, one of nine in Ethiopia.
The Sidama region, which has a population of over three million, has been agitating for years to leave the diverse Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region.
The referendum result is expected to have a significant impact beyond the Sidama region, with more than 10 other ethnic groups potentially interested in holding their own referendum on autonomy.
Autonomy and Ethnic Self-Rule ¶
The referendum on autonomy sprang from a federal system designed to provide widespread ethnic self-rule in a hugely diverse country.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, has enacted a series of reforms that have encouraged more freedoms, but his drive to open up Ethiopia's authoritarian one-party state has also unleashed ethnic violence as different groups and regions jostle for power and resources.
Implementing the Referendum Result ¶
Creating a new state will be far harder than just voting for one, and implementing the referendum result is expected to raise a host of thorny issues.
"A new region will not be created overnight -- this is just one key part of a process," William Davison from the International Crisis Group, said ahead of the result.
"And during no part of that process should Sidama statehood harm non-Sidama residents or businesses."
