by Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (December 25, 2018)
Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives passed a law providing for the establishment of a reconciliation commission that is aimed at mending fences and bringing peace among communities involved in social and political conflict.
The preamble of the proclamation, which has passed with one abstention and one objection, says it was necessary to form a commission that would seek the truth about causes of past conflicts and come up with recommendations for a lasting peace and harmony among communities involved in clashes, hate and resentment to one another.
The proclamation says the commission mainly works to bring restorative justice – reconciliation between offenders and the community.
Ethiopia has seen its share of ethnic and political conflicts that resulted in the death of hundreds and the displacement of over two million people.
This year alone, 1.4 million people were displaced due to conflicts mainly between the Somali and Oromo communities, bringing the total to 2.2 million people displaced as a result of ethnic and political strife.