Cherishing Traditional Conflict Resolution Values is Crucial: Opinion Leaders

Ambo January 25/2019 People in various walks of life and opinion leaders lauded efforts made in Ethiopia in effectively employing traditional assets of conflict resolution.

 Efforts made in using the “Geda System” in resolving recent conflicts in the country indicate that the country can rely on its intangible assets of resolving conflicts.

Opinion leaders who talked to ENA said that despite its rich assets on resolving conflicts in the country, Ethiopia has not effectively utilized its traditional conflict resolution assets to quell some of the conflicts that have flared up in the country over the past years. 

The efforts made by “Aba Gedas” in effectively resolving the unfortunate conflict that surfaced up between Oromo Democratic Party and the Oromo Liberation Front in a ceremony conducted at Ambo yesterday vividly demonstrates that the country can use its traditional assets of conflict resolution as a key instrument to resolve upcoming conflicts.

Ababiya Aba Jobir, one of the participants who attended that ceremony said “the Aba Gedas taught us lessons that we have long forgotten. As the Geda System is based on lasting public interest; while we were looking for modern democracy we missed the opportunity that we could have used to resolve our problems.”

Pastor Daniel Gebreselassie, President of Justice for All said “Ignoring our traditional systems of conflict resolution by trying to relay on western style resolution of conflicts has made us pay a lot of scarifies.”

He added that the strong political will on the part of the government to employ home grown methods of conflict resolution has enabled to cost effectively employ our own traditional methods which are effective.

Pastor Daniel added that “this indicates that we have to cherish our traditional assets and effectively develop them to resolve any upcoming conflicts.”

Modern ways of resolving conflicts are not absolutely different from traditional methods of conflict resolution and are complimentary, Pastor Daniel added.

Aba Geda Tefera Dugassa, one of the Aba Gedas who took part in the meeting said “We need to be inward focused instead of soliciting solutions to our own problems and the youth should specially focus on retaining the valuable assets passed to them from their forefathers.”

He added that senior members of society should be able to transfer such useful cultural assets to the current and upcoming generation.

At the traditional gathering that was held in Ambo Town, The Aba Gedas have effectively labored to restore peace among the conflicting political parties.

Similar traditional conflict resolution mechanisms were employed a week ago in resolving conflicts between the Amhara and Tigray Regional States.