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JOURNAL OF UWC FACULTY OF LAW | ISSN 2077-4907 | Short URL www.ldd.org.za

Confronting past atrocities: A critical analysis of the defunct Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission, pp 342-363

Volume: Volume 26 - 2022

Article type: Refereed article

Author/s: Moges Zewiddu Teshome

This article examines the rationale for the establishment of the defunct Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission (the Commission) and the challenges it faced in its efforts to help end impunity, restore the ruptured social fabric, and ensure democratic transition. To this end, the article relies on analysis of relevant literature, comparative case studies, and interviews with experts. Ethiopia is a deeply divided society, one characterised by ethnic division, cycles of violence, a pervasive culture of impunity for heinous crimes, competing historical narratives, and polarised political discourse. The Commission was bestowed with ambitious mandates and functions. Among its formidable challenges were a legitimacy deficit; the prevalence of competing narratives; vaguely defined mandates; and the complexity of the reconciliation process. Ultimately, the Commission failed to deliver on any of its promises.

About the author/s

Moges Zewiddu Teshome

Project Assistant, International Institute for Peace (Austria, Vienna); former Lecturer of Law, College of Law, Haramaya University (Haramaya, Ethiopia) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7525-7001

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