Abstract:
This study has examined Roles, practices and challenges of customary conflict resolution
mechanisms among Hadiya: The case of Misrak Badawacho Woreda. To achieve the objective
of the study, the qualitative research method was employed and both primary and secondary
sources of data were used. In terms of sample size, 30 informants were used in total. 16 key
informants from different groups of people (based on age, sex, educational status) and 2 focus
group discussion, each group consists seven members from different target groups such as
elders, local authorities and personal observation. The results obtained from the study suggest
that conflicts in Hadiya, as in anywhere else, may vary from trivial interpersonal
disagreements to a serious dispute which might eventually lead to homicide. The most
common type of conflict issues in Hadiya are theft, robbery, family disputes, inheritance,
dispute on killing someone or homicide, arson and abduction. The customary conflict
resolution mechanism become the solution for such types of conflicts to save the times and cost
from the injured persons that they used to process cases to legal courts. The actors such as
community elders, religious leaders and clan leaders play a great role in resolving conflicts by
reducing its further escalation. Customary conflict resolving institutions have played a great
role to solve different local conflicts and for the development of modern institutions. Thus,
parties in dispute usually prefer their case to be resolved by the traditional process for its
lasting effect in restoring peace, and security and also kill sense of revenge. Customary
institutions have unique mechanism in solving conflicts among society and should be
preserved for the next generation and therefore, responsible bodies such as government, non government organizations, and researchers preserve customary institutions
