The 1994 FDRE Constitution grants all ethnic communities, designated as Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, the right to self-determination up to secession, an absolute right, which even cannot be suspended during State of Emergency. Despite this noble promise, the recent quest of the people of Konso for self-determination was encountered with loss of innocent lives, destruction of properties and displacement of more than 12,000 households from their original homeland. Thus, the study sought to understand the quest of Konso for self-determination and investigate the SNNP Regional Government’s response under the SNNPRS Constitutional framework. To achieve the main objective, the study employed qualitative Case study design relying on primary sources of data. In selecting key informants and Focus Group Discussion participants, both purposive and snow ball sampling strategies were employed. The data obtained from both primary and secondary sources were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research findings revealed that the Konso’s quest for sub regional autonomy is constitutionally supported; however, the SNNPRS Regional Government is reluctant to grant the claimed sub regional autonomy for purely administrative reasons. Hence, in containing the quest, the Regional Government has responded through both institutional and coercive approaches. The study also revealed that it was the Council of Nationalities’ ‘unconstitutional’ decision that turned the constitutional quest of the people of Konso into conflict. The major conclusion drawn from the findings is that there exists a gap between constitutional promises of the right to self-determination for nations, nationalities and people’s and the actual practice on the ground. Finally, recommendations are forwarded based on the research findings and future research directions are indicate