Ethiopia to hold autonomy referendum for ethnic Sidama on November 13

Reuters | Ethiopia on Thursday granted its ethnic Sidama community a referendum in November on self-determination, with a view to creating the country’s 10th autonomous region, Fana news agency reported.

Ethiopia’s 9 existing regional states enjoy a degree of autonomy under which they are able to choose their official language and have limited powers over taxation, education, health and land administration.

Buoyed by political reforms introduced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since he took power in 2018, political activists from the Sidama – currently subsumed into 1 of the 9 states – wanted to unilaterally declare a new regional state in July.

Ethiopia’s electoral board said the referendum, on November 13, would address “ethnic Sidama’s demand for regional statehood,” state-affiliated Fana said on its website.

At least 8 further ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa country of 105 million people are also seeking autonomy.

Abiy, appointed by the ruling coalition last year, has won praise for political reforms. But with many local activists using the greater freedoms to demand more rights, tensions between rival interests sometimes heighten.

The electoral board said close to 1,700 polling stations and 8,500 election officials would be deployed for the November referendum, Fana reported.