In Ethiopia, upper house approves creation of 12th regional state

Ethiopia's upper house of parliament on [5 July] approved the creation of a 12th regional state after the latest referendum for greater self-rule in Africa's second-most populous country. The creation of 'South Ethiopia Region' - the third new state created since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018 - was "approved with a unanimous vote" by the upper house [on 5 July], it said in a statement. "Following the desire expressed through a referendum by the six zones and five special districts... the House of Federation has in today's regular session decided to have them be organised in a regional state," it said. Voters in part of the ethnically-diverse Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) overwhelmingly supported carving out their own state in a referendum in February. It is just the latest state to break away from SNNPR, a mosaic of minority ethnic groups in the country's south, and scene of tension and violence in recent years.
Read the full article here: VOA