These days, identity-based violence in Ethiopia has been a fundamental issue posing security challenges in the country. More recently, the country has witnessed a lot of violent scenes and general insecurity. This rising wave of violent conflict is worrisome and it is worrisome because it puts fear in the minds of the general population and brings a vicious cycle of suspicion, mistrust, and exclusion among communities along multiple lines of identities. But, what is encouraging within this worrisome fact is that even in most challenging situations there are communities’ acting to prevent violence from its occurrence by employing local strategies. Taking stock of these cases appears essential as it ensures building sustainable peace. The thrust of this article is to bring to surface experiences of resilient responses to violence and traditions for resilience among different communities in Ethiopia in an attempt to transform identity-based violence in the country.

Keywords: Identity Based Conflict, Resilience, Resilient Response, Peacebuilding, Local Capacity