Ethnic Conflict between UIT and UTM University Students: Root Causes, Governance and Response

Authors

  • Jalaia Abund Political Science and International Studies, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Author

Keywords:

Ethnicity; Ethnic Groups; UIT; UTM

Abstract

Interethnic relation is an inevitable aspect of any social relationship. The main aim of this study was to assess the interethnic relation between UIT and UTM university students especially the case of University undergraduate students. The study employed qualitative case study design through dealing with wide ranges of primary and secondary sources. Key informants and FGD participants were selected based on both purposive and snowball sampling. The data obtained from both primary and secondary sources were analyzed using thematic analysis. This study revealed that collective memory, activists and political parties with extremist ideas, unverified or edited historical narrations, hate speech, social media, and abusive statements of government officials are behind the cause of the interethnic conflict between UIT and UTM students in BDU. The university organized SD programs and a consistent dialogue and successive training that aims to create interethnic friendship ought to be rendered so that there exists a smooth interethnic relation between UIT and UTM students. The researcher recommended that the ethnic identity of every Ethiopian should be respected, while at the same time national identity must be stressed in order not to repeat the previous mistakes of over emphasis of either ethnicity or nationality.

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Published

2025-11-17

How to Cite

Ethnic Conflict between UIT and UTM University Students: Root Causes, Governance and Response. (2025). Interdisciplinary Journal of Religious and Multicultural Perspectives, 1(3), 33-44. https://ijrmp.com/index.php/journal/article/view/12