Test for Ethiopia’s Reforms as Sidama People Vote on Autonomy

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed delivers a speech during the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 17, 2018. Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP/Getty Images

HAWASSA, Ethiopia—Awol Beyene got married on Nov. 17 in a white tuxedo, with his voting card in one hand and his bride’s hand in the other.

On Nov. 20, Awol’s Sidama people will vote in a referendum on whether to form their own self-governing region in southern Ethiopia, as sweeping reforms under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have emboldened ethnic groups to demand more rights.