Refugee Life as an Extension of Pastoral Life: Survival Strategies of the Gabra Miigo Pastoralists in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This paper explores the refugee life of the Gabra Miigo based on life history data collected from 54 informants. The Gabra Miigo are pastoralists in southern Ethiopia and have often become refugees since the 1960s due to international conflicts. When they became refugees, they applied subsistence strategies developed for the harsh arid environment to manage the difficulties of their lives. This paper evaluates such applications as a major contributor to rebuilding their pastoral life after repatriation. This paper also explains the modern political situation in Ethiopia that causes ethnic conflicts, characterized as the ‘new war’ according to Kaldor (1999). We then discuss the importance of subsistence strategies for pastoralist survival during the ‘new war.’