Ethiopia is a federation subdivided into ethno-linguistically based regional states and chartered cities. This system of administrative regions replaced the provinces of Ethiopia in 1992.
The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region was a regional state in southwestern Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of five kililoch, called Regions 7 to 11, following the regional council elections on 21 June 1992. Its government was based in Hawassa.
Hawassa known historically as Adare is a city in Ethiopia, on the shores of Lake Hawassa in the Great Rift Valley. It is 273 km (170 mi) south of Addis Ababa via Bishoftu, 130 km (81 mi) east of Sodo, and 75 km (47 mi) north of Dilla. The town serves as the capital of the Sidama Region. It lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town and has a latitude and longitude of 7°3′N38°28′E and an elevation of 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) above sea level. Its name comes from a Sidamic word meaning "wide body of water".
The Sidama are an ethnic group traditionally inhabiting the Sidama Region, formerly part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. On 23 November 2019, the Sidama Zone became the 10th regional state in Ethiopia after a zone-wide referendum. They speak the Sidama language, which is a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Despite their large numbers, the Sidama lacked a separate ethnic regional state until continuous protests resulted in the proposal being voted on in a November 2019 referendum.
Gedeo is a zone in the South Ethiopia Regional State (SERS) of Ethiopia. This zone is named for the Gedeo people, whose homelands lie in this zone. Gedeo is an exclave of the SERS consisting of a narrow strip of land along the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian Highlands. It is surrounded by the Oromia Region, which borders the Zone on the east, south and west; Gedeo shares its northern boundary with the Sidama Region. Dilla is the administrative center; other towns include Dilla, Wonago, Yirgachefe, Chelelekitu and Gedeb.
The Sidama Region is a regional state in southern Ethiopia. It was formed on 18 June 2020 from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and transformation of the Sidama Zone after a 98.52% vote in favour of increased autonomy in the 2019 Sidama referendum. It is the second smallest regional state in the country, after Harari. Sidama is the name of both the Sidama people and Sidama territory. Sidama is bordered to the south by the Oromia Region (except for a short stretch in the middle where it shares a border with Gedeo zone, in South Ethiopia Regional State, on the west by the Bilate River, which separates it from Wolayita Zone, and on the north and east by the Oromia Region. Towns in Sidama include Hawassa, the capital of Sidama and of SNNPR when it existed, Yirgalem, Wondogenet, Chuko, Hula, Bona, Bursa, Bensa, and Aleta Wendo. Sidama has a population of around 3.2 million in 2017 who speak the Cushitic language Sidama.
Gurage is a zone in the Central Ethiopia Regional State of Ethiopia. The region is home to the Gurage people. Gurage is bordered on the southeast by Hadiya and Yem Zone, on the northwest by Kebena Special Woreda, north and east by the Oromia Region, and on the southeast by Silt'e. Its highest point is Mount Gurage. Welkite is the administrative centre of the Region; Butajira is the largest city in this zone and the former administrative centre.
Hadiya is a zone in the Central Ethiopia Regional State of Ethiopia. This zone is named after the Hadiya of the Hadiya Kingdom, whose homeland covers part of the administrative division. Hadiya is bordered on the south by Kembata, on the southwest by the Dawro Zone, on the west by the Omo River which separates it from Oromia Region and the Yem Special Woreda, on the north by Gurage, on the northeast by Silte, and on the east by the Alaba Zone; the woredas of Mirab Badawacho and Misraq Badawacho form an exclave separated from the rest of the zone by Kembata. The administrative center of Hadiya is Hosaena.
North Omo Zone was a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It was named after the Omo River, which flows in the western area of the former zone. In 2000 it was split into three zones: Dawro, Gamo Gofa, and Wolayita; and Basketo and Konta became special woredas.
Ethiopia is administratively divided into four levels: regions, zones, woredas (districts) and kebele (wards). The country comprises 12 regions and two city administrations under these regions, plenty of zones, woredas and neighbourhood administration: kebeles. In addition to the Twelve federal states within the country, there are two federal-level city administrations in Addis Ababa and Dire Dava.
Shebedino is a woreda in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Sidama Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Shebedino is bordered on the south by Dale, on the west by Boricha, on the north by Awasa Zuria, on the east by Gorche, and on the southeast by Wensho. Towns in Shebedino include Leku. Boricha and Gorche woredas were separated from Shebedino woreda.
Dawro is a zone in the South West Region of Ethiopia. The name "Dawuro" represents both the land and the people. It is located at about 500km southwest of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and 319 km of Hawassa, the capital of the Sidama Region. Dawuro is bordered on the south by Kucha in Gamo Zone, on the west by the Konta Zone, on the north by the Gojeb River which defines its boundary with the Oromia Region,Jimma zone, on the northeast by Hadiya and Tembaro Special Woreda in Central Ethiopia Regional State, and on the east by Wolayita Zone; the Omo River defines its eastern and southern boundaries.
Wolayita or Wolaita is an administrative zone in Ethiopia. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Zone, on the west by the Omo River which separates it from Dawro, on the northwest by Kembata Zone and Tembaro Special Woreda, on the north by Hadiya, on the northeast by the Oromia Region, on the east by the Bilate River which separates it from Sidama Region, and on the south east by the Lake Abaya which separates it from Oromia Region. The administrative centre of Wolayita is Sodo. Other major towns are Areka, Boditi, Tebela, Bale Hawassa, Gesuba, Gununo, Bedessa and Dimtu.
Malga is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. Part of the Sidama Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Malga is bordered on the south by Gorche on the southwest by Shebedino, on the west by Awasa Zuria, on the north by Wondo Genet, and on the east by the Oromia Region. Malga was separated from Awasa woreda.
Following the 2018 dissolution of the ethnic federalist, dominant party political coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, there was an increase in tensions within the country, with newly resurgent regional and ethnically based factions carrying out armed attacks on military and civilians in multiple conflicts throughout Ethiopia.
A referendum on the creation of a South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region was held in the Keffa, Sheka, Bench Sheko, Dawro, West Omo Zones, and Konta special district of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia on 30 September 2021 in conjunction with the 2021 Ethiopian general election. The result was 98% in favor of creating a new region, with turnout of 94%.
The 1995 Ethiopian Federal Constitution formalizes an ethnic federalism law aimed at undermining long-standing ethnic imperial rule, reducing ethnic tensions, promoting regional autonomy, and upholding unqualified rights to self-determination and secession in a state with more than 80 different ethnic groups. But the constitution is divisive, both among Ethiopian nationalists who believe it undermines centralized authority and fuels interethnic conflict, and among ethnic federalists who fear that the development of its vague components could lead to authoritarian centralization or even the maintenance of minority ethnic hegemony. Parliamentary elections since 1995 have taken place every five years since enactment. All but one of these have resulted in government by members of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) political coalition, under three prime ministers. The EPRDF was under the effective control of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which represents a small ethnic minority. In 2019 the EPRDF, under Abiy, was dissolved and he inaugurated the pan-ethnic Prosperity Party which won the 2021 Ethiopian Election, returning him as prime minister. But both political entities were different kinds of responses to the ongoing tension between constitutional ethnic federalism and the Ethiopian state's authority. Over the same period, and all administrations, a range of major conflicts with ethnic roots have occurred or continued, and the press and availability of information have been controlled. There has also been dramatic economic growth and liberalization, which has itself been attributed to, and used to justify, authoritarian state policy.
On 6 February 2023 a referendum was held in the Wolayita, Gamo, Gofa, South Omo, Gedeo, and Konso Zones, as well as the Dirashe, Amaro, Burji, Ale, and Basketo special woredas of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNP) of Ethiopia, on whether the included areas should leave SNNP and form their own Region.
