Transitional Justice through ‘Reconciliation Commission’ in Post-2018 Ethiopia: A Critical Examination on its Viability

Abstract

In a country that has been beset by gross human rights violation, repression, and violent conflict, transitional justice measures constitute a powerful tool to promote reconciliation, end impunity, and ensure peace. However, if transitional justice measures are to achieve their objective, their design, implementation, and administration must correspond with specific realities on the ground. On the 25^th day of December 2018, the Ethiopian parliament ratified a ‘Reconciliation Commission’ proclamation, which acclaimed by many as a landmark. Yet a big question is: how far the move corresponds with the country’s specific realities? The alignment of the measures with Ethiopia’s historical and socio-political specificities remains an unsettled issue. Thus, this article, through a theoretical analysis and interpretative perspective, critically examines the viability of the measure in light of the specific realities that are unfolded in the country. The article argues that the ‘nature of post-2018 regime’, ‘contested past’, and the problem of ‘sequencing and politicization’ of the transitional justice measures are specific contexts that could derail the effectiveness of the measures and hence, require closer scrutiny.