Suchergebnisse

Abstract
This is a review of scholarly interpretations of the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution and its aftermath, that is, the regime it brought to power. It covers studies written during the life of that regime by Ethiopian and foreign scholars, and focuses on their interpretation rather than description, and specifically on their views on certain key issues. These include the nature of the imperial regime and the causes of its collapse; the protagonists in the political uprising that ended in the regime's collapse; the agents of the social revolution that followed; the nature of the Derg regime; and the scholars' own view of its prospects.

Nearly twenty years ago, the editorial of ROAPE's first special issue (No. 30, 1984) on the Horn of Africa opened with the sombre comment: 'Manifold, violent social conflict is the hallmark of contemporary history in the Horn of Africa.' Civil wars were raging then in Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. The latter two states had fought their second war a few years earlier, and relations between them were extremely hostile. Each was patronised and armed by one of the rival superpowers that were running a cold war sideshow in this corner of African. Not unrelated to conflict, a biblical famine was ravaging the region for the second time within a decade. The editorial of the second ROAPE special issue (No. 70, 1996) on this region observed that some things there had changed for the better. One major conflict had ended when Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia, and both states now had a young, battle-tested and sophisticated leadership avowedly committed to peace and development. Foreign power interference had subsided with the end of the cold war, and a continent-wide wave of democratisation was seen lapping at the borders of the Horn. Interstate relations in the region had improved greatly, ambitious schemes of regional cooperation were envisaged, and demobilisation of armies and guerilla forces was in progress. Added to the expected peace dividend, foreign investment was anticipated to boost development now that socialism, previously the vogue in the region, had given way to the free market. The editorial also noted some things had changed for the worse. Conflict had caused the collapse of the Somali Republic – a first for Africa – and had spread to Djibouti and to parts of northern Sudan. The latter now claimed the dubious distinction of hosting Africa's oldest conflict.

Bloodshed at Galalu
23 March 2002: Dawn came that day to find a group of about thirty Afar warriors lying in ambush alongside the road to Djibouti. Newly re-surfaced, Ethiopia's sole link to the sea cuts a straight dark line through the desiccated Alligedhi plain. No vehicles were on the road at that early hour. Lorry drivers avoid night travel, preferring to spend evenings in the shantytowns that dot the road, where they find food, drink and women for sale. A bridge nearby takes the road over the dry bed of the Galalu, a seasonal stream that brings rainwater from the Asebot Mountains to the south. Rain had not fallen in many months, and the emaciated animals on the plain were herded to the Awash River, the area's only permanent source of water some distance to the west. A single well on the Galalu streambed keeps water throughout the year, a precious resource for pastoralists in this parched land, and a bone of violent contention in times of drought.

Examines the elements constituting the Afar-Ise conflict in Ethiopia, beginning with a brief look at the geography& historical legacy. It is asserted that the use of the label "ethnic" distorts the conflict by raising the level of the dispute above its actual context. Generally viewed as a purely pastoralist conflict, external intervention has complicated the issue. Contributing, proximate, & trigger factors underpinning the conflict are articulated, & largely ineffective state efforts at conflict resolution are delineated. Key here is that much of the conflict is not the making of the Afar or Ise; eg, transportation routes are key points of contention that did not originate as such with the Afar & Ise but are now seen as essential resources worth fighting over. The multifarious nature of contested resources & the extraneous origin & control of some of these impinge on conflict resolution as they represent material values. Competition over these material values is contended to be the root cause of the conflict, & care must be taken to limit the role played by distorting labels like "ethnic conflict.". J. Zendejas

Discusses conflict in the Horn of Africa, focusing on relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and the situation in Somalia and the Sudan; 8 articles. Contents: The betrayals of the intellectuals, by Ali Moussa Iye; The Ethiopia-Eritrea war, by Leenco Lata; TPLF: reform or decline?, by Medhane Tadesse, John Young; State collapse in Somalia: second thoughts, by Ken Menkhaus; Sudan: liberation movements, regional armies, ethnic militias & peace, by John Young; Eritrea: transition to dictatorship, 1991-2003, by Debessay Hedru; Anatomy of a conflict: Afar and Ise Ethiopia, by John Markakis; Somaliland: choosing politics over violence, by Mark Bradbury, Adan Yusuf Abokor, and Haroon Ahmed Yusuf.