The Tale of Two Ideologies - Federalism vs Unitarism.

The #WarOnTigray is intensifying + evolving by the day. As we continue to bring awareness to the growing humanitarian crisis in Tigray, we need to also explain some of the nuances in ideologies that ignited the conflict.

Ethiopian politics is essentially a battleground between two opposing political ideologies: ‘federalist’ vs ‘unitarist’ regimes.

The #WarOnTigray + the ongoing genocidal campaign is being justified + defended by those who want to impose unitarist ideologies on the country.

Federalism is a political system in which political power is divided between the central government (called the federal government) and the federations units (often called regions or states).

Multinational federalism is often a last resort for keeping together polarized regions.

On the other hand, unitarism is a political theory that advocates for a unified and centralized system of government.

Supporters of this group use a notion of ‘national unity’ to impose an assimilationist and homogenizing ideology on Ethiopia’s cultural diversity.

The unitarist ideology often defines “Ethiopianism” as an identity constituted of the Amharic language, Amhara culture, Orthodox Christianity + allegiance to the Solomonic dynasty.

Marginalized groups had endured forced assimilation into the dominant culture + identity.

In 1991, the EPRDF established a federal system giving recognition to ethnic autonomy while maintaining unity of the state.

Oppressed groups would have a say in electing their local officials, maintaining their identity, culture + languages w/out intervention of the central gov.

The unelected PM of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, came into power in 2018 and one major political agenda he pushed forward is a new unitarist political party, Prosperity Party, that aims to dismantle the federal system in exchange for a centralized government.

Although some other factors are at play, the differences in ideologies between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Abiy Ahmed and his Amhara base are at the core of the #WarOnTigray.

With a unilateralist leader who is willing to risk going to war to eliminate the federal system + with several marginalized and minority groups who are willing to fight forced assimilation and protect their rights to self determination, #Ethiopia is at the cusp of disintegration.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the topics shared, you can view the resources below: