Thank you author and Ethiopia Insight. Villages have been razed to the ground. The Gumuz were hunted as slaves in the era of the emperors. It was previously known as Region 6. Abiys visit to the area was, unfortunately, followed by an escalation of the conflict and mass killings. Metekkel zone is one of three zones in the Benishangul-Gumuz state. It has been over six months since more than 207 people were massacred in a single day on 24 December 2020 in Bakuji, a small kebele in Bullen Wereda. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that spiralling costs of food and fuel were adding to the toxic mix. Still, the killings should have been condemned in the strongest terms possible, and the agreement should have included an attempt to do so. 1975. Aaron Maasho, a spokesman for the government-funded Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, which reported the killings on Wednesday, urged Mr. Abiy to deploy extra security forces to keep the peace in the troubled region. These attacks were premeditated and highly prepared, he said. Abiy, the winner of the Nobel 2019 Peace Prize, declared victory after federal forces entered the regional capital of Mekelle in late November, though the TPLF pledged to fight on and clashes have persisted in the region, hampering efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance. [1] Around 67,000 Gumuz also lived in Sudan. Alessandro Triulzi: "Beni angul" in: Siegbert Uhlig (Hrsg.). Descendants of Gumuz people taken as slaves to the area just south of Welkite were found to still be speaking the language in 1984 (Unseth 1985). While the Blue Nile-Benishangul-Gumuz borderland is not free from conflict, it provides an example of . If you dont influence it now then the circumstances will build so that there are more and more refugees coming.. Concerning religion, 44.98% of the population were Muslim, 33.3% were Orthodox Christians, 13.53% were Protestant, and 7.09% practiced traditional beliefs. [18] In 1898, Asosa became the political and economic capital. Read more: I have no confidence in the proposed solution. John Young, "Along Ethiopia's Western Frontier: Gambella and Benishangul in Transition". The town is named after the highest point in the Asosa Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Mount Bambasi. Metekkel zone has been placed under a command post that is directly responsible to the prime minister. When commissioned, it will be the biggest hydroelectric power plant in Africa - but again it has delivered few of the promised jobs and benefits to locals. Ethiopias former ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front. Violence in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz region is separate from the deadly conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, which has sent more than 61,000 Ethiopians into Sudan's . Finds attributing them to the Berta date from the 17th to 20th centuries and are mainly located on mountains, hills and in rocky areas that are easy to defend. Muferiat Kemal, Ethiopias minister of peace, now says that the area has become a juncture for different interest groups.. Tsegaye is studying for a Peace and Development Work Masters degree at Linnaeus University in Sweden and is a political science lecturer at Assosa University. 01 May 2023 17:03:29 The mob killing of a Gumuz man in Chagni, on 12 April, in the heart of the town in front of government authorities, is one of many signs of uncontained chaos. The situation [in Metekel] has rapidly escalated in the past three months, Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesman, told reporters in Geneva. Egypt is not the only country that depends on the river -- it's shared by 11 African countries. The Region hosts Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and has been the site of intense ethnic killings throughout the past year. The militias want to protect the Gumuzs 30-year rule of the region. Eritrean writer and analyst Shifa al-Afari told Al-Monitor that the Benishangul-Gumuz region is currently seeing unprecedented tension that could be characterized as a state of war. According to him, this is the first time that this armed group, which took control of the county, and these weapons appear in the region. Returning the displaced people into their villages will bring durable solutions but should be carefully handled. The Benishangul-Gumuz conflict was an armed conflict mostly in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region in Ethiopia that started in 2019, until peace agreement signed between the rebel groups and the government of Ethiopia in October 2022. These interest groups include actors from the neighbouring Amhara state who claim ownership of the Metekkel zone. Fighting broke out on 18 January in the town of Tongo - reportedly between unidentified armed groups and federal forces - and the nearby camp . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Of course, fulfilling the preconditions requires coordinated and concerted action among humanitarian organizations and government entities. This is an escalation of the border dispute between Sudan and. Luxury goods such as textiles and glass beads were imported via Sudan. Its main inhabitants are the Gumuz, Oromo, Awi, Amhara, and Shinasha communities. At least 80 people were killed on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen stormed through a village in western Ethiopia in the latest of a series of ethnically driven massacres in the area, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and witnesses said on Wednesday. Many considered Demekes speech to be emotion-led and forwarded under the pressure of Amhara nationalists. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a massive hydropower plant on the River Nile that neighbors Sudan and Egypt, as the dam started to produce electricity, Feb. 19, 2022, in Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia. Assosa Zone makes less than half of constituencies, which does not guarantee the establishment of a regional government. The ethnic groups include the Berta (25.41%), Amhara (21.69%), Gumuz (20.88%), Oromo (13.55%), Shinasha (7.73%) and Agaw-Awi (4.22%). Nowadays it is simple to travel between the regional capital of Assosa and Gilgil Beles, the capital of the Metekel Zone. It said it was working with local authorities in the Blue Nile province to respond to the humanitarian needs of the newly arrived, many of whom have arrived in hard-to-reach places along the border. Ahmad, Abdussamad H. 1995. Consideration must be given to minority rights in order to reconcile important democratic principles with realities on the ground. The river provides nearly all Egyptians with drinking water. What is the impact of the expected great economic benefits of the GERD on peoples behavior now? Our Vision is to see Healthy, Productive, and Prosperous Citizens of Ethiopia. "The sea is rising in the Mediterranean Sea, and the land is sinking in the Nile Delta. The diplomatic dispute with Sudan and Egypt should be solved through dialogue and the dam negotiations should proceed amicably. In, James, Wendy. The sun rises behind the skyline of Egypt's capital Cairo and its Nile river island of Manial, Nov. 3, 2022. UNHCR is working to install basic. Firstly, government-sponsored reconciliation efforts were made since the eruption of the violence which, unfortunately, failed to produce the expected outcome. These regions served as slave-hunting grounds since Aksumite times, and their Nilosaharan-speaking inhabitants were pejoratively called Shanqella (anqlla, also Shanqila, Shankella) by the highland Ethiopians. The government and its intelligence sector should reassess the routes and ways through which the militias are getting logistical support. Photo: Benishangul Gumuz communication bureau Addis Abeba - A peace and development conference between senior officials of Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz region and Sudan's Blue Nile state has started today in Ad-Damazin city, the capital city of Sudan's Blue Nile state. The Gumuz enjoyed administrative rights over Metekkel zone. People from neighboring weredas of Agalo Meti and Yaso, primarily those representing non-Gumuz ethnic groups, have left their villages in fear of a similar scenario. Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesmanMansour Bouladresponded to the Ethiopian accusations on March 5, saying in apress statement, Sudan has no intention to invest in violence in its relations with other countries.. Those who supported the agreement argued that negotiation and compromise are positive by their nature and should be appreciated. Isnt your residence enough for identity and language service purposes? The Berta, Gumuz and Shinasha tend to have more in common with the people of neighbouring Sudan than with other Ethiopian peoples, while the Amhara and Tigrayans, who are known as Habesha (or "highlanders") are recent arrivals, who began to settle in the region during the Derg era. Ethnic targeting means minorities are not able to move freely in the region, nor in neighboring towns in the Amhara region. There are also Sudanese and Egyptian interests to consider. Severe climate shocks Globally, floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and intense, severely. In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country should be ready for a war with Egypt over the dispute. There are several people, including children, who have lost their whole family due to the conflict. The Bega (Gumuz) of Wellega: Agriculture and subsistence. Ethnic violence poses a major challenge to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as he tries to promote national unity in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups. Benishangul-Gumuz (Amharic: , romanized:Benangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia bordering Sudan. Dessalegn, Beza. But funding gaps has forced @WFP to make difficult decisions about who receives food and who goes without. Secondly, taking military measures against the militias was not also effective in resolving or even minimizing the violence. Dozens Die in Ethnic Massacre in Troubled Ethiopian Region, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/world/africa/ethiopia-ethnic-killings.html. Ethiopia has accused both Sudan and Egypt of sponsoring Gumuz militia attacks to jeopardise the construction and filling of the dam. Unseth, Peter. Rural population was 424,432, while the urban population was 36,027. It is worrying indeed that the attention of national and international actors is turned almost exclusively to the war in Tigray. Putting an immediate and lasting end to violence is the first step towards assessing and addressing the heavy impact of unconstrained fighting. High-ranking officials including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the area and discussed with representatives of the people in December 2020. The Gumuz also hunt wild animals, such as duikers and warthogs, and gather honey, wild fruits, roots and seeds. Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs. Since its establishment under the 1995 constitution, questions about who has rights in the region have been contested. Within the federal political arrangement, the Gumuz and the Shinasha control the six districts in the local administration structure. In a statement on 1 May, the government of Sudan claimed Benishangul-Gumuz as potentially its territorya provocation which the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly condemned. They fired their guns and used swords to attack anyone they came across women, children, elderly people.. As many social institutions and homes are destroyed, things like infrastructure building and support for reconstructing homes need to be considered. Awadi denied any Egyptian involvement in the recent violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz region. Ethiopia started filling the dam, which is over 70% complete, in July 2020 and is getting ready for the second filling in July 2021. In. Berta is spoken in the Sherkole woreda, Gumuz is spoken along the western boundary of Guba and Dangur woredas and in the Sirba Abbay woreda, and the Shinasha are a displaced people of Kaffa scattered across Welega and Gojjam. BDP also expressed frustration over the regional governments willingness to share power with militias while imprisoning and persecuting legally organized political parties in the region. In December 2019, about 200 people were killed in the Metekel massacre. That means the election will only take place in Benishangul-Gumuzs Assosa Zone. Indeed, on 10 June, there was a report of an attack by militias in Oda Bulidigilu Wereda which is located in Assosa Zone. As a result, ethnic clashes that had already been growing for months have only gotten worse. James, Wendy. [9], There are 2 refugee camps and 1 transit center, housing 36,440 refugees from Sudan and South Sudan, located in Benishangul-Gumuz region. The dam's impact on the water supply depends on how fast it's filled, according to Elgendy. It was previously known as Region 6. In the latest episode, witnesses said that men of the Gumuz ethnic group, armed with rifles and swords, stormed into Daletti village early Tuesday. The question of Eritrean troops is extremely sensitive, so we dont get the clear answer about the whereabouts or magnitude of the Eritrean troops, he said. But it has lots of control over its internal problems through understanding and negotiations. The GERD is expected to make the country a major power exporter in the region. This article attempts to investigate and analyze the relationship between Beni Shangul Gumuz and the central government in the period between 1898 and 1941 in the context of center-periphery theories. Feuds between clans are common and they are usually solved by means of an institution of conflict resolution, called mangema or michu[3] depending on the region. Associate Professor of History, Colgate University. Bender, M. Lionel. The Gumuz have traditionally been grouped with other Nilotic peoples living along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border under the collective name Shanqella (Pankhurst 1977). The completion of a mega-dam on the river poses another significant threat to the water supply in the region, critics of the project say. Spirits are called mus'a and are thought to dwell in houses, granaries, fields, trees and mountains. This is because the Blue Nile, which originates from Ethiopia, supplies up to 80% of the Nile waters. At the epicenter of these complex crossroads is Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State: site of the dam, bordering with Sudan, and cloaked in chaos that will prevent many of its constituents from participating in the upcoming national election. Haavisto repeated urgent calls from the international community for the Ethiopian government to grant full humanitarian access to Tigray, including areas beyond its control. "I believe there will come a point where some level of cooperation has to happen, because there is no other alternative," says Mahmoud. On Dec. 22, Mr. Abiy took time out from the campaign in Tigray to visit Benishangul-Gumuz and calm tensions in the area. La Trib dei Gumus. Haavisto, who met Abiy during his visit to Addis Ababa this month as part of a fact-finding mission, said Ethiopias leadership had failed to provide a clear picture of the situation in Tigray including the widely documented involvement of forces from neighbouring Eritrea. Though a transit road has been built and commercial farms established in the lower basin the Gumuz people were seen in 2018 as politically "peripheral" in regard to the Ethiopian highlands that hold the power in the country. With mounting grievances against the regime, on 12 October 2020, the then chairman of the command post and deputy prime minister, Demeke Mekonnon, strangely and officially called people in Metekel to organize and arm themselves for defense. Try it for free and cancel anytime. These traders married into the Berta upper class and thus gained political influence. The Benshangul/Gumuz Region lies on Ethiopia's western border with Sudan, and shares internal borders with Amhara and Oromia Regions. This claim gained momentum after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed power in April 2018. Benishangul-Gumz Regional Health Bureau; Benishangul-Gumz Regional Health Bureau. Major roads are still closed. More than 80 civilians were killed in an attack on Tuesday in the Benishangul-Gumuz region on Ethiopia's border with Sudan, the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday. Cereal crops are kept in granaries decorated with clay lumps imitating female breasts. The attacks by armed militia, mainly from the Gumuz people against the Oromo, Amhara, Shinasha, and Awi residents of Metekkel, escalated in September 2020 and continued into March of 2021. Ethiopia Atlas of Key Demographic and Health Indicators, 2005." This is a good article. "Both because of climate change, and also because of socio economic conditions and population growth.". But a day later, armed men attacked a village, leaving at least 100 people dead, according to human rights groups. [13], According to Negasso Gidada, Oromo penetration into the region began in the mid-18th century. To do so, its necessary to assess the success and failure of the previous strategies attempted by the command post in an effort to end fighting. . Previously one had to travel through Wollega and Gojjam in the neighboring regions of Oromia and Amhara, a distance of 1,250 kilometers, but it is now around 378 kilometers on the new road and bridge. I do not think the article addressed why the Gumuz rebel. "There'll be an imbalance in terms of less water supply and inflated demand," said Mahmoud. Benshangul-Gumuz Regional Health Bureau P.O. With widespread instability and difficulty reaching IDPs, victims of violence are out of arms reach from humanitarian assistancewhether from the regional government or from national and international non-governmental organizations. Until yesterday, 3,364 people from 62 countries entered Ethiopia through Amhara region; 91 people from seven countries received through Kurmuk border crossing point, located in Benishangul-Gumuz region. In the past decade the number of refugees in eastern Africa has nearly tripled, from1.82 million in 2012 to almost five million todayincluding 300,000 new refugees last year alone. Instead, cross-border trade has increased, away from official pathways. "Folks have never actually went to war just because of water. #NEWS ALERT The number of #refugees in eastern Africa has tripled in the last decade to almost 5 million. All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Note Etnografiche. They are looked down on and insulted as shankila. [7], In the Metekel conflict, starting in 2019, Gumuz militia were allegedly involved in attacks against Amhara, Agaw, Oromo and Shinasha civilians.[8][9][10]. Ethiopia is now at a crossroads. 1981. Ethiopia may not have control over the behavior of Egypt and Sudan. Main languages are the Berta (25.15%), Amharic (22.46%), Gumuz (20.59%), Oromo (17.69%), Shinasha (4.58%) and Awngi (4.01%). Many Gumuz people have been displaced and they are not happy that the investors are hiring non-Gumuz workers to aid in their occupation of an area that is rich in resources like gold, marble and fertile agricultural land. Immediately following the meeting, Ahmed issued a statement accusing foreign parties, in reference to Egypt, of causing chaos and instability in the country. This was followed by the killing of over 80 people in a place called Daleti in Metekel Zone. Even heavily guarded transport vehicles traveling to the GERD site, escorted by troops of armed personnel, are not safe from militia attacks. Benishangul-Gumuz Region is one of the peripheral regions of Ethiopia bordering the Sudan. Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy, did not respond to questions about the violence. 21 1958. 1993. The agricultural implements and cutting tools of Begemder and Semyen, Ethiopia. Box 61 Assosa, Ethiopia Telephone: +25125-7-754738 . As such, one could go so far as to argue that even bothering to conduct an election in Assosa while postponing elections in Metekel and Kamashi is effectively pointless. [7] According to the 1994 census 44.1% of inhabitants were Muslim, 34.8% Orthodox Christians, 13.1% followers of traditional religions and 5.8% Protestants. [10], Religion in Benishangul-Gumuz Region (2007)[11]. Rocket fire from Gaza after Palestinian hunger striker dies, At 75, Israeli society faces sharpening divisions, 75 years after the Nakba, Palestinians still long for return, Former Sudan advisor to US government Cameron Hudson says US sanctions on Sudan's rival generals could have averted conflict. The violence might have ethnic undertones but this is a political conflict at heart. Photo: Benishangul Gumuz regional government Addis Abeba - The Benishangul Gumuz regional government said it has signed a peace agreement on 10 December with the armed group Benishangul People's Liberation Movement (BPLM) in Khartoum, Sudan. The Blue Nile region is situated in the south-eastern part of Sudan, bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan. I suspect justice means something different to the rebel group than to this author and government. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The choice may be clear : it may be a bitter pill to swallow: do we want to see one Ethiopia, living in a relative peace ,by changing some agreement on the dam or sticking to our current position and face the eternal infighting and the disintegration of the country? The Abay River (Blue Nile) divides Benishangul-Gumuz, and there was no bridge crossing it until 2012. In a statement on 1 May, the government of Sudan claimed Benishangul-Gumuz as potentially its territorya provocation which the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly condemned. The national government should safeguard the rights of the indigenous and minority groups who are endangered by mob-minded community members desperate for revenge. Terms of the agreement that seemingly aimed at appeasing the militias included, among others, sharing power with militia members at the wereda, zonal and regional levels, creating job opportunities, offering access to financial support services, and giving urban and rural land to the members of the militias. Guba is the closest district to Sudan. What are the historical and social contexts? UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners are rushing life-saving aid to more than 20,000 refugees after they fled clashes in Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz region, bordering Sudan and South Sudan. However, due to increased population which has led to the widespread destruction of the canopy, authorities announced a campaign on 8 June 2007 to plant 1.5 million seedlings over the next two months to replenish this resource. The Gumuz of the Lowlands of Western Gojjam: The frontier in History 1900-1935. . Unless the government and concerned parties give their attention to Benishangul-Gumuz, the country and the Horn of Africa as a whole is likely to soon feel the awful effects of an out-of-control conflict. The number of refugees arriving per month has been steadily reducing and in May only 159 new arrivals were registered in Kassala and Geraref and another 162 new . They also began to spread Islam among the Berta. What are the policies of neigbouring states toward the BSG region? The EU has joined the United States in demanding Eritrean troops withdraw. Days later, the national army regained control of the town, but the event laid bare a deteriorated security apparatus, leaving many civilians with the impression that they have little hope for proper protection. The unfortunate reality is that eastern Africa is confronted with a year of unprecedented humanitarian needs, driven by severe climate shocks, ongoing conflict and instability, and surging food and fuel prices, said Michael Dunford, WFPs Regional Director for Eastern Africa. Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts. Ethiopia's new party is welcome news, but faces big hurdles. Like other regions in Ethiopia, Benishangul-Gumuz is subdivided into administrative zones. In the end, the violence in western Ethiopia is a confluence of local, regional, national and, possibly, foreign interests. Built on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region, just 30 km from the border with Sudan, the GERD is nearing completion, with the Ethiopian government announcing in March 2023 that 90 per cent of the dam was finalized. All rights reserved. The region has 20 weredas and two Special Weredas making three Zones of the region. But it also unleashed simmering ethnic tensions. This operation has lasted more than three months, and we do not see the end, Haavisto said. 21 The dam, Africa's largest, began generating electricity in February 2022, after 11 years of construction work. Addis Ababa and Asmara both deny that Eritrean forces are involved in the conflict, contradicting witness reports from civilians, aid workers and some military and government officials in Tigray. With its vast and fertile land, Benishangul-Gumuz was once looked at as a crucial development corridor of the country. First, an area needs to be effectively controlled, ensuring the availability of appropriate levels of security, social services, and economic opportunities for returnees. Unseth, Peter. The Gumuz are one of the indigenous groups in Metekkel. [citation needed]. A sharp increase in food and fuel costs and conflict-caused displacement are being compounded by a worsening climate crisis. Alessandro Triulzi, "Trade, Islam, and the Mahdia in Northwestern Wallagg, Ethiopia". A general view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. The road has a 365-meter bridge that crosses the Abay. Over 100,000 people, mainly a large proportion of Amhara and Agaw people, have been displaced, the majority fleeing into Chagni, Ranch camp. No one surrendered per the deadline. About 90% of Egypt's population lives along the Nile River, with the waterway providing nearly all Egyptians with drinking water. At least 7,000 people who fled escalating ethnic violence in western Ethiopia have sought asylum in neighbouring Sudan, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has said, amid heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries. 1234 Sudan Streat Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates. Globally, floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and intense, severely impacting countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, and worsening food insecurity. On 21 May, the National Election Board of Ethiopia confirmed that the election, which will take place on 21 June, will not take place in both Metekel and Kamashi zones, indicating that registration of voters did not occur due to security reasons. The Gumuz speak the Gumuz language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family (Bender 1979). This indicated an inability of the government to provide security and maintain law and order in the region.

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