SUMMARY

The Derashe and the Konso live in neighboring areas in south-western [Ethiopia(/#country/530), with the former inhabiting the Derashe special woreda (district) and the latter residing in the Konso special woreda, just to the south. Relations between the two groups have fluctuated over time and there are reports of one the one hand inter-personal and inter-group conflicts and on the other hand, intermarriage and peaceful co-existence. It is not completely clear what triggered the eruption of violent conflict between them, but most sources speak of differences over access to collective resources. Furthermore, it seems clear that a number of developments led the Derashe – Konso relationship to deteriorate during the late 1990s and 2000s. For one, the Konso village of Fuchacha, situated in a Malaria-infested area with a history of flooding, was in 1998 planned to move to a drier, healthier area. After some 80 out of 290 households had settled at a place called Bafu, the situation grew tense, since the Derashe considered Bafu as their land and some nearby Derashe villages claimed to use the area for grazing.

Another development that caused friction between the two groups was the re-drawing of the map by leaders from the Konso opposition party KDPU (Konso People's Democratic Union), by which the Konso area was extended to also include most of the lowland area under Derashe administration, including Lake Chamo. While the Konso ruling party cadres dismissed this as simple propaganda for recruitment purposes, it seemed to have had an impact on the relationship between the Derashe and the Konso.

The non-state conflict between the Derashe and the Konso is first included in UCDP data in 2008. In February of that year, clashes between the two groups resulted in 33 battle-related deaths.