From Weak Social Capital to Exclusionary Ethnofederalism: A Root of Majang-Highlander Conflicts and Rights Violations in Gambella Region

Abstract

The Majang Nationality Zone (MNZ) is an administrative unit in
Gambella Region of Ethiopia having communities that are identified
as indigenous (who are mainly Majang) and Highlanders (also
known as settlers). This article aims to investigate into a structural
underpinning of tensions and violent conflicts between these two
communities, as well as ensuing rights violations. The article argues
that prior to the implementation of ethnic federalism in 1991, the
Majang and settler communities already exhibited low levels of social
capital. Cultural and physical differences between the groups
resulted in minimal integration and limited mutual trust. The
introduction of ethnic federalism further deepened these divisions by
institutionalizing a dichotomy between “indigenous” Majang and
“Highlanders” (also called “settlers”), thereby entrenching identity
boundaries. This structural separation not only reinforced existing
social fragmentation but also laid the groundwork for
intercommunal conflict. The article employs the concept of social
capital as an analytical framework, suggesting that its presence can
foster peaceful coexistence, while its absence or erosion may
contribute to conflict. The study’s data were drawn from both
literature review and fieldwork primarily conducted in 2011, with
follow-up investigations in 2023 to assess changes relative to the
original findings.
Keywords: Indigenous-settler dichotomy, social capital deficit,
ethnic federalism, conflict, Majang.