The political landscape in Ethiopia since 2018 exemplifies how historical interpretations rooted in collective memory can shape political alignments. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s initial embrace of great tradition narratives clashed with the historical perspectives of his core constituency,…
RVI publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic.
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Studying urban contestations in Ethiopia’s secondary cities can help us understand how the urban centres outside of Addis Ababa are evolving during an ongoing period of significant socio-economic and political change. Ethiopia’s urban centres are the location of ongoing…
This paper examines the roles of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ethiopian peacebuilding, exploring change and continuity within the sector and how past events influence their activities. It discusses CSOs’ involvement in peace initiatives, analysing their successes as well…
Since 2018, Gambella has experienced several conflicts. While some can be categorized as a continuation of protracted conflicts in the region, others can be attributed to the post-2018 political changes in Addis Ababa. The major conflicts include, Anywaa–Nuer conflict,…
በኢትዮጵያ ከተሞች የሚታዩ ውዝግቦችን ማጥናት፣ ከአዲስ አበባ ውጪ ያሉ የከተማ ማዕከላት የሚስተዋሉ ጉልህ ማኅበራዊ፣ ኢኮኖሚያዊ እና ፖለቲካዊ ለውጦች ምን ዓይነት መልክ እንዳላቸው ለመገንዘብ ይረዳል። በዚህ ረገድ በቅርቡ የተመሠረተው የሲዳማ ክልል ርዕሰ መዲና በሆነችው የቀድሞ የደቡብ ክልል ዋና ከተማ ሐዋሳ…
Studying urban contestations in Ethiopia’s secondary cities can help us understand how the urban centres outside of Addis Ababa are evolving during an ongoing period of significant socio-economic and political change. In this regard, Hawassa in Sidama region provides…
This paper offers an analysis of conflict trends in Ethiopia’s Benishangul–Gumuz Regional State, focusing on the period since the 2018 national political transition. As well as providing a historical overview, it examines the drivers of contemporary violence, the role…
ከኢትዮጵያ ከተሞች በሕዝብ ብዛት ሁለተኛ የሆነችው ድሬ ዳዋ ከተማ፣ በምስራቁ የሀገሪቱ ክፍል የብሔረሰቦች፣ የቋንቋ እና የኃይማኖት ብዝኃነት የሚገለጥባት ማዕከል መሆኗ ይታወቃል። ነገር ግን በ2010 የተደረገውን ሀገራዊ የፖለቲካ ለውጥ ተከትሎ፣ በርካታ ጎብኚዎችን የምታስተናግደውና በሰላሟ የምትታወቀው ከተማ ለሁለት ዓመታት የብሔር እና…
ይህ ጽሑፍ አዲስ በተቋቋመው የማዕከላዊ ኢትዮጵያ ክልላዊ መንግሥት ውስጥ በሀዲያ ዞን በምትገኘው ሆሳዕና ከተማ ለሀብት ባለቤትነት እና ቁጥጥር የሚደረግ ውዝግብ ላይ የተደረገ ጥናት ሪፖርት ነው። ጥናቱ የከተማዋን መስፋፋት ተከትሎ በቀድሞ በተወሰኑ ቡድኖች ተይዞ የነበረው የማኅበራዊ እና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ኃይል ተገለው…
Dereje Feyissa and Fana Gebresenbet, with Abreham Abebe This report offers a case study of the contestation for ownership and control of key urban resources in Hosanna, located in the Hadiya zone of the newly formed Central Ethiopia Regional…
Recent Publications
Enhancing the Role of Borderland Communities in Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy
October 15, 2025
Ethiopia’s borderland communities (BLCs) have historically influenced the country’s relations with its neighbours. These peripheral regions often serve as hubs for cross-border trade, repositories of natural resources and, at times, flashpoints of conflict. Surrounded by six neighbouring countries – Djibouti,
Women in the Social Sciences and Humanities in Ethiopia: The case of Addis Ababa University
October 10, 2025
This preliminary assessment is part of the launch exercise of the Ethiopian Women Researchers’ Network (EWNET). Focusing on Addis Ababa University as a pioneering higher institution in the country, the study looks into the status of women within these disciplines
Iddir in Contemporary Social Science and Humanities Research in Ethiopia: Historicizing and theorizing local infrastructures of care
October 3, 2025
The second Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET) seminar was delivered by Desalegn Amsalu, Anteneh Tesfaye, Yasmin Bushra and Helen Zeru on 3 July 2025 at Addis Ababa University’s Alle School of Fine Arts & Design. EWNET SEMINAR SERIES REPORT The