Somali (region)

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Somali
de-facto Kenia (mit Südsudan umstritten) Kenia Somalia Eritrea Dschibuti Jemen Südsudan Sudan Uganda Addis Abeba Harar (Region) Dire Dawa Gambela Region der südlichen Nationen, Nationalitäten und Völker Afar (Region) Tigray (Region) Benishangul-Gumuz Somali (Region) Amhara Oromialocation
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Basic data
Country Ethiopia
Capital Jijiga
surface 279,252 km²
Residents 4,439,056 (2007)
density 16 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2 ET-SO
politics
Head of government Mustafa Muhummed Omer
Political party Somali People's Democratic Party

Coordinates: 9 °  N , 43 °  E

Somali ( Ethiopian script : ሶማሌ Somale , also ሱማሌ Sumale ; officially English Somali Regional State SRS , Amharic የሶማሌ ክልል Yä-Somale Kələl , Somali Dawladda Deegaanka Soomaalida ; also Somali National Regional State SNRS, Amharic የሶማሌ ብሔራዊ ክልል Yä-Somale Bəherawi Kələl ) is an administrative region of Ethiopia . According to official figures, the population of around 4.4 million people is mostly from the Somali people , who are the titular nation of the region. Somali is located in the east of the country on the border with Somalia , Djibouti and Kenya , its capital is Jijiga .

Historically, the area is also known under the name Ogaden . Since 2007, the conflict between the ONLF rebels and the Ethiopian army has intensified in the region .

geography

Map of the Somali region

Somali borders Djibouti in the north, Somalia in the east (or Somaliland in the north-east ) and Kenya in the south . In the west, the region borders within Ethiopia on the regions of Oromia and Afar and the self-governing city of Dire Dawa . In terms of area, Somali is the second largest region after Oromia.

The region is climatically arid to semi-arid and consists largely of flat pastureland, steppe and desert. The Shabelle (Shebeli) flows as an alien river from the Ethiopian highlands in a south-easterly direction through Somali and takes in numerous tributaries coming from the north of the Harar plateau - including the Erer , Fafen , Galeti and Jerer - most of which are not water at all times of the year to lead. The south of the region is drained by the two rivers Dawa and Ganale , which join to the Jubba on the Somali border . In the far north, near the border with Djibouti and Somaliland / Somalia, the Ayisha flows . The amount of rain averages 500 mm / m 2 , the evaporation potential is 3100 mm / m 2 , so that there is a precipitation deficit; the precipitation fluctuates strongly from year to year, and droughts or floods occur again and again.

Administratively, Somali is divided into the nine zones Afder , Degehabur , Fiq , Gode , Jijiga , Korahe , Liben , Shinile and Warder . The further subdivisions into woredas and kebeles have been changed variously - often in the context of local power struggles - and the border areas to the regions of Oromia and Afar are disputed.

The capital is Jijiga . Other larger places are Awbere , Daror , Degehabur , Derwonaji , Denan , Dolo , Erer Gota , Gerbo , Gode , Filtu , Fiq , Geladi , Kebri Beyah , Kebri Dehar , Kalafo , Mustahil , Shinile and Warder .

population

According to the 2007 census, the region has 4,445,219 inhabitants. Of these, 97.2% (4,320,478) are Somali , the next largest ethnic group are 0.66% Amhars (29,525) and 0.46% Oromo (20,263). 86% of the residents live in rural areas. 98.4% are Muslim.

In 1997, 95.89% of the 3.4 million inhabitants at the time spoke Somali as their mother tongue, 2.24% Oromo and 0.93% Amharic . 8.29% of the population spoke a second language: 4.26% also spoke Oromo, 1.59% Somali and 1.25% Amharic. Somali is the working language of the region.

Most Somalis in Ethiopia include the communities of Ogadeni- Darod on. In addition, other Darod clans and other clan families such as the Isaaq , Dir and Hawiye as well as " Bantu " minorities such as the Rer Bare , who speak Somali and are associated with Somali clans, live in the region .

The ONLF claims the region has up to 8 million people and that the Ethiopian government is deliberately understating the number of Somali people.

Education and health

In 2005, 13.8% of children in Somali (15.5% of boys, 11.6% of girls) attended primary school, making the region the lowest enrollment rate in the country. 7% (9.4% boys, 4.1% girls) attend secondary school.

In 2007, an average of 6.3 people lived in a household, which is the highest number in Ethiopia. In 2005, 21% of women lived in households with more than one wife. 0.7% of the people tested are HIV- positive, at the same time knowledge about the transmission routes and prevention of HIV is less widespread than in all other regions. 97.3% of the women are circumcised , of these 83.8% in the most severe form (infibulation). 74.3% of the women surveyed stated that they support the continuation of circumcision. The men circumcision is also prevalent with 99.2%. 85.6% of children between 6 months and five years and 39.8% of women have anemia ; severe anemia is more common than in any other Ethiopian region.

History and politics

See also: Ogaden: History of Ogaden

Incorporation in Ethiopia

In 1887, Ethiopia conquered the city of Harar under Menelik II and in the following decades subjugated the Somali nomads in the areas east and south-east of the city. In the 20th century there were efforts among the Somali to create a Greater Somalia from all Somali regions. The state of Somalia , which became independent in 1960 , made corresponding territorial claims against Ethiopia and supported Somali guerrillas in Ethiopia. In 1977/78 the two countries waged the Ogaden War for the area, after which the Somalia-backed Western Somali Liberation Front WSLF continued to fight against the Ethiopian government. The state counterinsurgency measures had serious effects on the population, especially in the years 1978–1984. While the WSLF lost its importance, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) emerged as a new rebel organization in 1984 .

Administratively, the Somali areas in Ethiopia belonged to the provinces of Harerge (Hararghe) and Bale for most of the time , but the subdivisions were changed several times.

Autonomous Region from 1991

In 1991, the newly come to power EPRDF initiated the democratization and decentralization of Ethiopia. As part of the new administrative structure of Ethiopia , which is based on an "ethnic federalism", a separate region was also created for the Somali. This was initially called Region 5 .

As a result, various clan-based parties formed under the Somali. The first regional elections were won in 1992 by the ONLF, anchored in the Ogadeni Darod clan and at that time still allied with the EPRDF. When a name for Region 5 was to be determined, the ONLF advocated the name “Ogaden”, but met resistance from the other clans, so the more comprehensive name “Somali” was chosen. The ONLF pushed through that the rather small and remote town of Gode in the Ogadeni area became the regional capital.

The alliance between the EPRDF central government and the ONLF broke up when the ONLF-dominated regional parliament declared its intention to secede in 1994 . In the 1995 elections, the ONLF was replaced by the Ethiopian Somali Democratic League (ESDL) of various smaller clans, which became the new regional partner of the EPRDF. In the same year, Gode was replaced by the more northerly and more easily accessible Jijiga as the capital. The Somali People's Democratic Party (SPDP) from Ogadeni and non-Ogadeni has dominated since 1998 . With the founding of this party, the EPRDF expanded its base of allies from the non-Ogadeni clans to the moderate Ogadeni. The SPDP is seen as corrupt and closely linked to the EPRDF, but was able to mobilize voters successfully in the 2000, 2004 and 2005 elections with the help of state resources. The Western Somali Democratic Party (WSDP) is the main opposition party.

Since the introduction of the new administrative structure, border areas between Somali and the neighboring regions of Afar and Oromia have been controversial. On the borders between Somali and Oromia, groups like the Gabbra , Garre , Jarso, Guura, and Guji traditionally identify as both Oromo and Somali, and Somali and Oromo have close ties based on a common Muslim- Cushite identity and dislike for one Dominance of the highland Ethiopians . The regional division based on ethnicity has contributed to a stronger polarization between Somali and Oromo. Referendums in the border areas of Oromia and Somali in 2004 failed to resolve the border conflict. The city of Dire Dawa claimed by both regions became an independent city, Harar became a separate region with the Aderi as the titular nation.

Political situation

The relationship between the Somali region and the central Ethiopian state remains difficult. The region is poorly developed, politically unstable and poorly integrated into the state as a whole. Both clan conflicts - especially between the Ogadeni and the other clans - and the politics of the central government contribute to the region's problems. Ogadeni in particular are striving for greater autonomy in the region, their independence from Ethiopia or the connection to a greater Somalia . The ONLF, founded in 1984, has been fighting violently for these goals again since 1994 and receives support from Eritrea , which is hostile to Ethiopia. Most of the interest groups in the region are limited to a narrow base, mostly a clan. In terms of party politics, a one-party system has de facto developed under the SPDP. In the 2010 elections , it received all seats in the regional parliament as well as all 23 seats in the Somali region in the national parliament.

Since 2007, the ONLF has also been opposed to Chinese companies searching for oil and gas in the region. In April 2007, it carried out a major attack on an oil field near Jijiga, in which 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese were killed. Since then there have been increasing clashes between the ONLF and the army. Tens of thousands fled the fighting.

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch , the ICRC and Doctors Without Borders have criticized the Ethiopian government for taking disproportionate measures against the civilian population in its crackdown on the ONLF and for temporarily "blocking" trade and humanitarian aid to the region. In June 2008, Human Rights Watch published a report that the Ethiopian army killed, ill-treated and raped civilians and destroyed villages. The entire population in rebel areas is subjected to "collective punishment". The AAAS published satellite images for this purpose, which are supposed to prove the destruction of villages.

The Ethiopian government rejected these allegations as ONLF propaganda. She broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar in 2008, according to a report on the Somali region by Qatari television broadcaster al-Jazeera .

economy

People and cattle in Danan

The most important livelihood of the population is agriculture. An estimated 60% of the rural population are nomadic cattle breeders, 25% combine cattle breeding and agriculture as agropastoralists . 15% are sedentary farmers who mainly live on the Shabelle , Dawa and Ganale rivers and in the Jijiga zone . According to an estimate by the Central Statistics Agency from 2005, 459,720 cattle, 463,000 sheep, 650,970 goats, 91,550 donkeys, 165,260 camels (36.2% of the national camel population) and 154,670 poultry were kept in Somali. The most important crops are sorghum and maize.

Livestock is an important commodity and is mainly exported via Somalia (including Somaliland ) to the states of the Arabian Peninsula ; however, the cattle trade has suffered from import restrictions imposed by the Arab states over fears of Rift Valley fever . Rice, wheat flour, pasta, clothing and various household goods are imported from abroad via Somalia. There are hardly any trade relations with the rest of Ethiopia, which is due both historically and in the still limited transport connections.

Recurring droughts, floods on rivers and political conflicts lead to food insecurity. Parts of the population are dependent on food aid. However, this also has negative consequences for the regional economy in that it competes with the production of local arable farmers.

There are several natural gas deposits in the area. The gas fields of Calub and Hilala spread over 350,000 square kilometers. It is believed to have reserves of four billion cubic feet of gas there. International companies operate in the region, such as the Malaysian Petronas , Lundin Petroleum , Africa Oil Corporation and Chinese companies. Allegedly nomads were pushed out of their pastures to make it easier to find natural gas.

Web links

Commons : Somali (Region)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Central Statistics Agency (Ethiopia) : 2005 National Statistics, Section – B Population ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.8 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.csa.gov.et
  2. The Somali National Regional State - Ethiopian Government Portal ( Memento of the original dated November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ethiopia.gov.et
  3. Abdulkader Saleh, Nicole Hirt, Wolbert GC Smidt, Rainer Tetzlaff (eds.): Peace Spaces in Eritrea and Tigray under Pressure: Identity Construction, Social Cohesion and Political Stability , LIT Verlag, Münster 2008, ISBN 978-3-8258-1858-6 (P. 350)
  4. የክልል መንግስታት - Ethiopian Government Portal ( Memento of the original dated November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ethiopia.gov.et
  5. a b Basic information from the Ethiopian Parliament on the Somali region ( Memento from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). Archived version from September 26, 2007.
  6. a b Cornelius Ammann: Food aid in the Somali region of Ethiopia 1983-2004 , 2005 (PDF)
  7. Tobias Hagmann: Beyond Clannishness and Colonialism: Understanding political disorder in Ethiopia's Somali Region, 1991–2004 ( Memento of the original from November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in: Journal of Modern African Studies 43 (4), 2005 (PDF; 154 kB), p. 12 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / tobiashagmann.freeflux.net
  8. a b Central Statistics Agency (Ethiopia) : Population and Housing Census Report - Somali Region - 2007 ( Memento of the original from November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.9 MB), pp. 67, 95, 455 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.csa.gov.et
  9. The 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Somali Region, Volume I: Part I. Statistical Report on Population Size and Characteristics ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and still Not checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 1998 (PDF; 49.4 MB), pp. 76, 78 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.csa.gov.et
  10. a b CSA: Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, 2005, pp. 20, 80f., 157, 183f., 200, 203f., 207, 218, 253
  11. Alex de Waal, Africa Watch: Evil Days. 30 Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia , 1991 (pp. 5, 65-67, 70-97, 344-345)
  12. a b c d e f Tobias Hagmann, Mohamud H. Khalif: State and Politics in Ethiopia's Somali Region since 1991 ( Memento of the original from August 31, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in: Bildhaan. An International Journal of Somali Studies 6, 2006, pp. 25–49 (PDF; 121 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / tobiashagmann.freeflux.net
  13. a b Abdi Ismail Samatar: Ethiopian Federalism: Autonomy versus Control in the Somali Region , in: Third World Quarterly , Vol. 25/6, 2004 (pp. 1138, 1141)
  14. a b Tobias Hagmann: The Political Roots of the Current Crisis in Region 5 , 2007
  15. NEBE: Official Results of the 23rd May 2010 General Election . Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  16. Crackdown in Ethiopia condemned , in: BBC News, July 4, 2007
  17. Ethiopia deadline for Red Cross , in: BBC News, July 24, 2007
  18. Martin Plaut: Ethiopia 'blocking MSF in Ogaden' , in: BBC News, September 1, 2007
  19. CSA 2005 National Statistics: Agriculture ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.8 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.csa.gov.et
  20. a b Save the Children / Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency: Somali Regional State Summary ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 2004 (PDF; 282 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dppc.gov.et
  21. ^ Ogaden rebels challenge Ethiopia oil deal , in: afrol News, November 14, 2006
  22. Ethiopia denies rebels seize Ogaden gas field , in: Reuters, May 30, 2010.