Kokata: Traditional Conflict Resolution Mechanism of the Kambata People of SNNPRS

Governments may find it usually difficult to find solution for a conflict of any type-be within a particular group, between groups or relating to between their own and outside groups, for example border conflict. This may be as they aspire to address conflict only using the state modern rules, while ignoring the contribution of the traditional rules for modern institutions (Jeong,2000:124). In fact, there is well-established consensus that conflict is an avoidable issue in human interaction because of divergent of interest.

Conflict may be internal to an individual, may occur between two or more individuals, it may occur within members of particular group, between different groups, states or organizations of different levels. It has been said that 'conflict is a relationship between two or more parties who have, or think they have, incompatible goals” (Fisher, et al, 2000: 4).

Discussing in its narrower sense, conflict can be understood as an engagement in fight or possible confrontation between two or more parties aspiring towards incompatible or competitive means or ends (Dereje,2010:10). Conflict can be viewed as a clash, or dispute or an expression of grievance that arising from some political, social and/or economic matters (Habtamu, 2013:6). According to (Jeong, 2000:40) conflict is a condition of disharmony in interaction process and usually occurs as a result of clash of interest.

Based on its being violent/destructive or nonviolent/ constructive characteristic of conflict, as it will be seen in the theoretical chapter, the conflict’s intensity may go through different stages or phases. A well handled conflict will help to identify problems, bring changes, can help much for the way we think about the future, it helps to clarify our purpose (Jeong,2000:27). Over recent years, peace research has emerged embracing three broad areas relating to conflict. These are identification of the causes and conditions of conflict, methods of conflict resolution and the norms and institutions that contribute to building peace.

Moreover, peace researchers have contributed to our understanding and approaches to conflict by developing several key tools in conflict analysis based on theory and practice notions, which among others, increasing conflict situation, at every level of societal interaction, the means to manage conflict through the needed skill of analysis is widely felt at any level. The most important thing should be linkage between indigenous institutional norms and the modern state rules for contemporary conflict management relevance.

Every society has its own mechanisms of handling conflicts through its own norms of approach (Abebe et al, 2015:15). Ethiopia is said to having an abundant potential of indigenous institutions that help for conflict resolution inherent to the various ethnic groups of the country. Located in the horn of Africa, Ethiopia is inhabited by more than 80 social communities who have their own distinct culture and language since their time of immemorial. On the other hand, diversity by itself is not recognized as an independent source of conflict between or within group members. The problem is mostly attributed failure to handle difference of interest. In Ethiopia too, there are various causes of conflict ranging from competition over resources, power, boundary dispute, intra-or-inter group, cultural, to personal issues.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the role of the Kambata indigenous institution in conflict peaceful settlement, which is locally known as Kokata. In so doing, it looks into the structure, procedures, characteristics and implementation of Kokata and the place it has among the Kambtta people. The study will focus also on the relationship between Kokata and the modern Ethiopian state rules to the present.

The Kambata Nationality group is found in central part of Ethiopian inside the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS), which by itself is a home for about fifty-six recognized ethnic communities. Issues in conflict range from ethnic tension, political dispute, ownership, competition of resources, identity, religious extremism and human rights violation to the revival of unresolved or ill-managed conflicts. These keep the SNNPRS in repeated ethnic and other forms of social conflict. There are also long time heritages of indigenous peace-building institution for conflicts that occur among particular group members as well as between the different groups to one another in peaceful manner.