The Normative Framework of the African Human Rights Regime on the Rights of Minorities

AuthorB Dessalegn
PositionLecturer at Hawassa University, College of Law and Governance, School of Law. The author can be reached at bezadesy@yahoo.com
Pages455-469
455
The Normative Framework of the
African Human Rights Regime on the
Rights of Minorities
Beza Dessalegn
Abstract
Minority issues in Africa have surfaced in various dimensions affecting the
socio-political landscape of the continent. The protection of minorities is
without doubt crucial to securing sustainable peace, economic development
as well as protection and enforcement of human rights. Even though
domestic mechanisms of accommodating ethnic diversity play a decisive
role in the protection of minorities, the African human rights regime is also
important in the protection of minorities. The African Bill of Rights
embodies numerous innovative provisions which can lend support to the
various minorities in Africa. The ground-breaking decisions by the African
Commission also add to the existing normative discourse on minorities,
especially, those dealing with peoples’ rights. However, there is still much
to be desired for in extending normative and jurisprudential exercises to
reach out to minority issues of all sorts.
Key words
Minority Rights, African Bill of Rights, Ethnic diversity, Peoples’ right,
Africa
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/mlr.v8i2.8
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Introduction
African states are among the most diversely populated countries in the
world, and their people are markedly partitioned along linguistic, cultural,
ethnic, and religious cleavages. This rich ethnic diversity of the continent
Lecturer at Hawassa University, College of Law and Governance, School of Law.
The author can be reached at bezadesy@yahoo.com

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