The Peacebuilding Role of Sport Before, During, and After the Northern Ethiopia Conflict: From the Perspective of Sport Professionals

This thesis examines the peacebuilding role of sport before, during, and after the conflict in Northern Ethiopia, with special attention to the perspectives of sport professionals in government institutions. Through qualitative data from six semi-structured online interviews with key informants at the federal and regional government level (Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Oromia, and Addis Ababa), we examine how sport has been employed to promote social cohesion, reconciliation, and dialogue, along with how it has been appropriated to exacerbate political and ethnic divides. The research took shape using four interdependent theoretical frameworks: Conflict Transformation Theory, Social Capital Theory, Critical Sport Sociology, and the Sport for Development and Peace model. The findings indicate that in certain contexts, sport has functioned as a symbolic and instrumental avenue for national cohesion and post-conflict recovery, while at other times, sport has been employed as a tool of propaganda, exclusion, and reinforcing ethnopolitical identities during conflict. In conclusion, although sport might provide an avenue for sustainable peace in Ethiopia, it is highly contingent on the context, inclusive governance, intentionality in program design, and protection from political exploitation. The research presents implications for policy, institutional practice, and future research in sport, peacebuilding, and conflict transformation.