Ethiopia: Information on whether Addis Ababa is still a "special charter town," and if so, what this status signifies; and on which towns in the southern region were designated "special status towns," and on the significance of this designation
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH24676.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Information on whether Addis Ababa is still a "special charter town," and if so, what this status signifies; and on which towns in the southern region were designated "special status towns," and on the significance of this designation, 1 November 1996, ETH24676.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab1b5c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was obtained in a 9 October 1996 telephone interview with a Horn of Africa specialist at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, who was expressing his own views.
Addis Ababa, which is surrounded by the territory of the Oromo Region, was given special charter status to reflect the multiethnic composition of its population when the boundaries of Ethiopia's regions were redrawn on the basis of ethnicity, according to the new constitution adopted in December 1994. The special status also serves to highlight the federal nature of Ethiopia under the new constitution, as well as permit the nation's capital to administrate itself instead of being made subordinate to a regional authority.
A professor of law familiar with Ethiopia at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, stated in a 9 September 1996 telephone interview that Addis Ababa was called a special charter town because the city is a melting pot of diverse ethnic groups, and therefore could not be divided according to ethnic lines as was the rest of the country. The professor explained that the city has its own administrative territory governed by a mayor and council. The source also stated that Amharic is the predominate language in Addis Ababa, even among non-Amhara ethnic groups. The source doubted that schooling is available in non-Amharic languages in Addis Ababa.
Neither source was able to identify which towns in the southern region had been given special status, nor what was signified by special status. However, the professor of law stated that Amharas comprised a significant portion of the population in the ethnically diverse southern region, and that Amharic was the language of schooling and government in the area.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Horn of Africa specialist, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC. 9 October 1996. Telephone interview.
Professor of law familiar with Ethiopia, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. 9 September 1996. Telephone interview.
Additional Sources Consulted
Five sources contacted did not provide information on the requested subjects.
Unsuccessful attempts to contact other oral sources.