PEACEBUILDING FOR INTERNAL AND CROSS-BORDER RESOURCE BASED CONFLICTS IN SOUTH OMO ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The study examined the practices of peacebuilding for internal and cross-border resource based conflicts in Hammer, Dassanech and Nyangatom community of south Omo Ethiopia using qualitative research approach. Data are collected through semi structured interview, Focus group discussions, document analysis and non-participant observation. Conflict drivers: The scarcity of water, pasture and concentration of livestock in the available water points and pasture areas often leads to conflict between the different communities over the rights of use of the water and pasture. Raiding of livestock has been culturally practiced among the pastoral communities, and it approved as the sources of conflict. Pastoral groups in Ethiopia living and grazing their livestock along the border areas, often get into conflict with those from neighboring Kenya pastoralist groups. The community described conflict as starvation, and poverty and peace as milk and food. To address the growing conflict in the study area, the government has set up strategies and peace committees which are responsible for ensuring local communities co-exist peacefully and diplomatic discussions are made. The peacebuilding practices are less fruitful because of lack of enforcing the designed strategies for peacebuilding but the peacebuilding initiatives are found there to be a best for peacebuilding. The study also finds out, there is relative peace in the study area and the trends of conflict are going on and the objective of building peace is still not achieved and there is less visible change in the trends of peace because of the absence of peace infrastructures.

Keywords

• pastoralism
• conflict
• peacebuilding

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