Spilling Blood over Water? The Case of Ethiopia 28 1to address the root causes of conflict.'43 For example, Issa encroachment onto
Afar lands is the root source of conflict between the lssa and the Afar. lssa
argue that they have nowhere else to go and are supported by the govem-
ment, who are unwilling to stem their movement into the Afar region.
Negotiating competing Issa-Afar claims to land in the Awash River Basin will
require delicate diplomatic negotiations between the governments of Ethiopia
and Djibouti. In this case, local level negotiations are less capable of redress-
ing the root source of conflict.
Women fulfil an important role in conflict prevention and resolution.
Women frequently act as 'go-betweens' for competing clans. Between mar-
ring clans in Afar, women act as messengers and mediators for the elders and
male members of the clans. They will meet with other women in recognised
'no-man' areas wearing specific sheepskin clothes showing that they come in
peace. They will then return to their male counterparts carrying messages,
demands and prospects for resolution. Similar arrangements exist within the
Kerreyu. It is suggested here that women are helpful for building peace
because there they are considered to be safe, based on cultural ideas of fem-
ininity.""'
In general, there less stigma is associated with women making peace and
resolving conflict. In the Afar region, women from competing Afar and Boran
groups graze cattle in certain 'no-go' areas between the two groups that are
considered too risky for men. They will remain under cover of the bush with-
in their recognised boundaries. If women go too close to the enemy lines,
however, they may be abducted by the men of the different group and taken
as booty, though it is unlikely that they will be physically harrned.'"j
Intermarriage between clans and even ethnic groups is also a longer-term
means of preventing and resolving ~0nflict.I~~ This usually involves an
exchange of a number of women from one clan or group with another. It is
hoped that stronger blood ties between different groups resulting from inter-
marriage will help to prevent further conflict. At a recent 'Peace Conference'
held in Awash in 2000, it was suggested that Afar and lssa exchange SO
women from each group for marriage as a way of resolving the conflict in the
long term.'47The Changing Nature of the Conflict
Conflict in the Awash River Basin is multi-layered and involves many compet-
ing groups. The changing dynamics of conflict in the basin entail competition
for scarce natural resources. However, as was evident in the last half a centu-
ry, it is often the comparatively abundant nature of natural resources in specific
micro-environments, and the uneven distribution of some resources, that is the
more critical 'ecological' source of conflict. Powerful groups, including the
government, commercial corporations, town-based entrepreneurs, and rich