CONFLICT EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM IN THE HAMMER, NYANGATOM, AND DASSANECH PASTORALIST AND AGRO-PASTORALIST COMMUNITY OF SOUTH OMO ZONE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In Ethiopia, the pattern and forms of the recent violent conflicts in pastoral areas indicate that they have been involved in resource control and utilisation competition. An in-depth investigation of natural resource-based conflict and its dynamics in the South Omo Zone in Ethiopia is the focus of this article. The resource based conflicts in the study area are continues to threaten community peace, economic development and their relationships. The root causes and signs of impending conflict in the area is identified as competition for scarce resources of water and pasture, land, poverty, culture of conflict, revenge, disputed territories of land, livestock raiding or theft, lacking state presence in local areas, availability of small weapons, and lack of working to develop culture of peace in the community. Conflict information sharing at the grassroots level and awareness creation by various NGOs, the local government, presence of frameworks for peace dialogue using tribal leaders and in coordination with government police office and the creation of water development plans are identified as the early warning mechanisms present in the study area. The conflict early warning and response system in the study area are not fully structured to prevent conflicts. Lack of coordination or synergy between early warning mechanisms, decision makers, and the inability to take action on the collected conflict information, lack of commitment on the part of the decision makers to implement needed responses, and lack of timeliness in response to the indicators of conflicts are the challenges. The governments should improve and establish workable conflict early warning and response system for averting conflicts. Working for peacebuilding, conflict transformation and livelihood diversification based mechanisms could be good in reducing the conflicts.