SUMMARY

The Borana and the Konso people live in the Southern part of Ethiopia. The groups have long been engaged in conflict and there have been clashes between members of groups living in Teltelle town and neighborhoods in Yabelo zone of the Oromia region since 2005 over claims to grazing, farmlands, territory, and water resources. The conflict erupted after the Borana tribes attacked Konso communities.

Since 2007, the conflict between members of the two ethnic groups has aggravated since the Borana charge the Konso of taking plots of grazing land that the Borana consider is their legitimate land. The Borana has begun to persistently demand that members of the Konso ethnic group leave these contested areas. Since the cause of the conflict has not been addressed adequately, this has escalated and turned into deadly confrontations.

The non-state conflict between Borana and Konso is first included in UCDP data in 2008. In July of that year, clashes in the Oromia region brought the death toll above the 25 battle-related deaths threshold.