HAWASSA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Activists in Ethiopia were set to declare a new region for their Sidama ethnic group on Thursday in defiance of the central government, with some residents of the southern city of Hawassa worried that it could lead to violence.
The declaration will be a litmus test of whether Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government can maintain its commitment to peaceful political reforms in the face of increasing demands from competing ethno-nationalist groups.
