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Dire Dawa, the second-most populous city in Ethiopia, is known as a melting pot of ethnic, language and religious groups in the east of the country. In the aftermath of the 2018 national political transition, however, the city, which is popular with visitors, experienced ethnic and religious conflicts in the following two years. This revealed underlying tensions among the city’s multiple ethnic and religious groups.

From 2020 to 2023, various developments have contributed to the restoration of relative peace in Dire Dawa compared to other parts of Ethiopia, two of which are especially significant. First, a government crackdown on opposition political forces, including dismantling the informal youth group structures that were at the forefront of the conflicts. Second, the change in political leadership of the city administration, which now largely consists of actors born and raised in Dire Dawa.