Property rights conflict, customary institutions and the state the case of agro-pastoralists in Mieso district, eastern Ethiopia精选.pdfVIP

J. of Modern African Studies , 47, 2 (2009), pp. 213–239. f 2009 Cambridge University Press doi:10.1017/S0022278 Printed in the United Kingdom Property rights con£ict, customary institutions and the state : the case of agro-pastoralists in Mieso district, eastern Ethiopia* FEKADU BEYENE Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension, Haramaya University, Ethiopia Email: keneefbk@ A B S T R A C T This paper examines inter-ethnic conflict over grazing land previously accessed as common property. It presents results of a study undertaken in Mieso district of eastern Ethiopia where two ethnic groups maintain different production sys- tems – pastoral and agropastoral. The historical change in land use by one of the ethnic groups, resource scarcity, violation of customary norms, power asymmetry and livestock raids are among the factors that have contributed to the recurrence of conflict. Particularly important is the role of raids in triggering conflict and restricting access to grazing areas. Socio-economic and political factors are re- sponsible for power asymmetry and the increasing scale of raids. An increase in the frequency of violence and a decline in the capacity of customary authority in conflict management advance the role of the state in establishing enforceable property rights institutions. This will succeed only if policies and interventions are redirected at suppressing incentives for violence, establishing new institutional structures in consultation with clan elders of both parties, and building internal capacity to monitor conflict-triggering events. * Fieldwork for this study was carried out with the funding support of CAPRi, a joint cooperation project between H