Debate Surrounds Status of Addis Ababa and Representation Issues as 4,000 Delegates Conclude Talks
Borkena Desk
TORONTO, Canada —The Ethiopian National Dialogue Conference, which has been underway for the past 40 days in the capital, Addis Ababa, concluded on Saturday with 4,000 delegates participating, including representatives from the Ethiopian diaspora.
Days before the start of the conference, the commission announced eight agenda items: nation-building; government structure and system; Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa governance; religious issues; rule of law, institutions, and human rights; social and economic issues (including farmers and pastoralists); corruption and good governance; and peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
The Ethiopian government and the commission claim the national dialogue was a success. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not attend the closing day event, but the country’s president, Taye Atske Selassie, described the conference as a “new path.”
However, two opposition parties that took part in the dialogue expressed grievances regarding the process, particularly regarding the debate over the status of Addis Ababa, one of the most controversial topics during the conference. Leaders of the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Party (EZEMA) and the Amhara National Movement (NaMA) explicitly wrote on social media warning the government to exercise caution on the issue of Addis Ababa, calling it a “red line.” These parties have worked with the government over the past five years, functioning much like a “managed opposition,” as critics describe them. Abiy Ahmed’s government has faced criticism over alleged intervention to influence decisions on the capital’s status, with allegations that the administration wants the city to be placed under the Oromia regional state. Divisions reportedly existed even among ruling party officials on the matter.
NaMA was specific in its accusation, stating: “At the conclusion of the consultation process, a commissioner attempted to present an additional agenda by coming forward with a group agenda that had not been examined by the assembly, an agenda item that the participants had not previously seen and had not agreed upon.”
Other opposition parties boycotted the process on the grounds that the National Dialogue Commission was neither neutral nor inclusive.
The Enat Party released a statement on Saturday declaring that “the national dialogue process has become ‘a zero-sum outcome that, far from bringing about a new solution for the country, is instead pouring gasoline on the existing national crisis.'” Furthermore, the party stated that the commission has “failed to give attention to serious issues, glossed over the matters and problems that have gripped the country, and was marked by a struggle to approve decisions that had already been made behind closed doors.”
Points of Disagreement
Hirut Gebreselassie, deputy commissioner, highlighted during her speech at the closing event that divergences remained on four key issues: the national flag, the system of governance, the status of Addis Ababa, and representation and Federation Council representation issues.
However, Commissioner Yonas Adaye suddenly took the stage and read a document giving the impression that an agreement had been reached, which delegates opposed. According to sources from within the conference, only delegates from the Oromia region supported placing Addis Ababa under the Oromia regional state, while the majority reportedly agreed that Addis Ababa should remain accountable to the federal government and retain the ability to elect its own leaders.
Ethiopia’s commission was established in December 2021 with approval from the federal parliament under Proclamation No. 1265/2021. According to local Ethiopian sources, the National Dialogue Commission spent over 1.6 billion birr over a three-year period to organize the dialogue. The bulk of the funding came from the government, with support from external partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
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