Constitution of Ethiopia (1994)
The ethnic federal charter granting nations a right to secede.
Overview
Effective 1995, the Ethiopian Constitution organizes the federation along ethno linguistic lines, with states defined by nations, nationalities, and peoples. Uniquely, Article 39 grants every nation a right to secession through a constitutional procedure, a right never consummated until the de facto breakaway dynamics around Tigray and Eritrea. It establishes a parliamentary federation, human rights provisions, and a religiously neutral state. The 2020 2022 Tigray war exposed the tension between ethnic territorial autonomy and centralized party control. It stands as the boldest experiment in multinational constitutionalism in Africa.
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