News Alert: SNNPRS Council called for emergency meeting; expected to transfer power to effect Sidama regional state
Addis Abeba, June 16/2020 – The Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional (SNNPRS) Council has called for an emergency meeting of its members for June 18.
The letter from the Council requests its members to assemble at Millennium Hall (Cultural Hall) of Hawassa & collect the main agenda of the 5th year, 2nd emergency meeting.
A source close to the matter told AS that the main agenda of the meeting will be the transfer of power to effect the official actualization of the new Sidama Regional State.
In a referendum held on November 23/2019, an overwhelming majority (99.8% or 2,277,063 out of the registered 2,280,147) voters have voted in favor of a future Sidama regional state. However, the decision has not been effected as of yet and it is expected that the main agenda of Thursday’s meeting by the Council will focus on that.
The emergency meeting also comes at the heels of the decision by 38 members of Wolayta zone representatives of the Council to withdraw from the council in protests against a recent move to reorganize the Southern region into four regional states. Wolayta zone representatives said the move didn’t consider their request for a separate statehood.
When effected, the Sidama regional state will become Ethiopia’s 10th regional state bordering Guji and West Arsi zones of the Oromia regional state and Wolayta and Kembata (both of which have approved statehood quests at zonal levels), as well as Gedeo zones of the SNNPR. AS
