UNHCR is working to install basic. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}1046N 3532E / 10.767N 35.533E / 10.767; 35.533. The name of the region comes from two peoples Berta (also called Benishangul) and Gumuz. From Dust to Dollar: Gold mining and trade in the Sudan-Ethiopia Attempts by the governments of Sudan and Ethiopia to increase control over the circulation of artisanal gold in their borderland regions have largely failed. Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.Delivered straight to your inbox. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Over 80 killed in attack in Ethiopian border region with Sudan - state 1234 Sudan Streat Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Spirits are called mus'a and are thought to dwell in houses, granaries, fields, trees and mountains. 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 - ethiodemographyandhealth.org But over the next two years, experts say Egyptians could approach a state of "absolute" water scarcity. Millions of displaced families across eastern Africa will fall deeper into hunger as food rations dwindle due to humanitarian resources being stretched to the limit as the world grapples with a toxic cocktail of conflict, climate shocks, and COVID-19, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday. Tigray has been the theatre of fighting since early November, when Prime Minister Abiy announced military operations against the regions ruling Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) party, accusing them of attacking federal army camps. This page was last edited on 12 March 2023, at 23:23. He notes that they hunted with bows and arrows, a custom that survives today. It is subdivided in several dialects (Ahland 2004, Unseth 1985). By drawing a bad lesson, other groups may also end up emulating similar measures. It was fighting the government of Ethiopia for more than 17 years and committed hundreds of deaths and huge number of displacements in the region until peace deal . James, Wendy. Ethiopia Atlas of Key Demographic and Health Indicators, 2005." But attacks and tensions remain high. [citation needed]. It was previously known as Region 6. [18] In 1898, Asosa became the political and economic capital. 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. The major road that connects the Metekel Zone and the Assosa Zone was built by the China Construction Company in 2012. In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country should be ready for a war with Egypt over the dispute. Zanni, Leone. 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%). Thisis the first time, however, that an armed group takes full control of several cities in the region, in light of the security forces failure to counter it. 1981. 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 . This has received mixed reactions among residents and watchers of the region. Benishangul-Gumz Regional Health Bureau - Ethiopia Sudans recent claim to Metekkel and particularly to Guba district has shocked the region. I Preniloti: unarcaica provincia culturale in Africa. That means the election will only take place in Benishangul-Gumuzs Assosa Zone. [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]. Ethnic targeting means minorities are not able to move freely in the region, nor in neighboring towns in the Amhara region. We are seeing the beginning of one more potentially big refugee crisis in the world, Haavisto said. In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was reported to be 460,459 of which 233,013 were men and 227,446 were women. Analysts say the campaign in Tigray has hampered Mr. Abiys ability to stem clashes like the recent one in Benishangul-Gumuz, because it has forced him to divert soldiers from across Ethiopia to Tigray. [13] Besides slaves, gold was traditionally an important export of Benishangul. In the chaos that followed, houses were torched and an old man was beheaded outside his house, Mr. Sebsibie said. Egypts Al-Bawaba News, which is close to the state, reported in an April 23 article that a civil war is unfolding in Ethiopia due to the poor economic and social conditions in the country and its citizens being marginalized and isolated. 4 February 2022 Humanitarian Aid 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. 01 May 2023 17:03:29 The unfolding conflict in different parts of the country and the withdrawal of popular political parties from the election has overshadowed the stalled national election. The Gumuz are one of the indigenous groups in Metekkel. Consideration must be given to minority rights in order to reconcile important democratic principles with realities on the ground. With an estimated area of 49,289.46 square kilometers, this Region has an estimated density of 15.91 people per square kilometer. Haavisto also warned that Sudan is struggling to cope with the influx of people fleeing the fighting and said it risked creating a major refugee crisis. 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. Disarming the armed group could have been a better solution than arming the unarmed group which will likely fuel further conflict, putting the area into a vicious cycle of conflict. info@moh.gov.et. Benishangul-Gumuz ( Amharic: , romanized : Benangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia to the border of Sudan. UNHCR, COR and partners are also responding to their needs. 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? However, all these measures were followed by an elevated conflict which resulted in dreadful consequences where civilians were brutally killed based on their skin color, their homes and farms were destroyed by fire. It is worrying indeed that the attention of national and international actors is turned almost exclusively to the war in Tigray. From aboriginal to frontier society in western Ethiopia. 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. This figure does not include the uncounted and unreported displacement of Gumuz and Shinasha people that took place within Metekel Zone. (Calverton: Macro International, 2008), http://catalog.ihsn.org/index.php/catalog/3583/download/50086, "Exhibiting Cultures of Contact: A Museum for Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia", "Ethiopia and the Mahdiyya You Call Me a Chicken? It even considers that it is the only country entitled to the Nile waters, which Egypt totally rejects. 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. No one surrendered per the deadline. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has provided scant information on recent violence in Benishangul-Gumuz, particularly in Metekel zone, where Debate is located. Of course, fulfilling the preconditions requires coordinated and concerted action among humanitarian organizations and government entities. Many of those who are still in the region are not getting humanitarian aid. Finally, Benishangul-Gumuz local government officials have owned up to orchestrating ethnic targeted killings in Metekkel as push back against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's new Prosperity Party,. Bashanga, das Strafrecht der Baga-Gumuz. Ethiopia's new party is welcome news, but faces big hurdles. Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. The dam is in Guba, one of the six districts in Metekkel. Ethiopia: Whose Gamble Is Sudan Playing? - allAfrica.com The growth in needs here mirrors what we see happening around the globeand we implore the world not to turn its back on this region and, in particular, the extremely vulnerable communities of refugees who have limited access to livelihoods and rely on WFP to survive.. The five largest ethnic groups in Benishangul-Gumuz were the Berta (27%), Gumuz (23%), Amhara (22%), Oromo (13%) and Shinasha (7%). Egypt has long been called the "gift of the Nile" as it has historically depended on the river for survival. [14], Little is known about its history before the 19th century. Most Gumuz members live in a bush-savanna lowland environment. There have been repeated episodes of intercommunal violence over the years. Benishangul-Gumuz (Amharic: , romanized:Benangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia bordering Sudan. Those who supported the agreement argued that negotiation and compromise are positive by their nature and should be appreciated. Weekly A.I. It seems a terrible idea. In, Wallmark, Peter. The hydro-electricity dam is now nearly complete and has begun filling to provide direly needed energy supply to Ethiopia. Several investors previously engaged in commercial farming where a variety of cash cropslike seasame and groundnutswere produced for export. Cereal crops are kept in granaries decorated with clay lumps imitating female breasts. [17], In the first quarter of the 19th century, Arab traders arrived from Sennar, which was occupied by Ottoman Egypt from 1821. It is the administrative center of Bambasi woreda . Those living near the Sudanese borderland converted to Islam and a few are Christians, but most Gumuz still maintain traditional religious practices. 1994. 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. Awadi noted that the Ethiopian society is disintegrated, as sporadic demonstrations occasionally erupt in the country, due to the prime ministers policies of marginalization and persecution of several social groups. The Involvement of External Forces behind Metekel Conflict - The Reporter Killings were committed by representatives of different ethnic groups, each seeking revenge for violence suffered. " The Benishangul-Gumuz region borders Sudan and South Sudan. 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. Note Etnografiche. 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. In 2019, the Metekel conflict began. These interest groups include actors from the neighbouring Amhara state who claim ownership of the Metekkel zone. Paulos Chanie, "Clientelism and Ethiopia's post-1991 decentralisation", Young, "Along Ethiopia's Western Frontier", p.334, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of districts in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab", "Along Ethiopia's Western Frontier: Gambella and Benishangul in Transition", Census 2007 Tables: Benishangul-Gumuz Region, "Households by sources of drinking water, safe water sources", "2008. More than 100,000 people have been displaced and 7,000 people have fled to Sudan. Bender, M. Lionel. Returning the displaced people into their villages will bring durable solutions but should be carefully handled. Mr. Abiys decision to open up Ethiopian politics after he came to power in 2018, releasing political prisoners and allowing exiles to return, was widely acclaimed. The murky politics behind the Metekel massacres, Benishangul conflict spurred by investment, land titling, rumors, Although the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE). Uzar, Henning. Many Gumuz became sedentary while continuing their agricultural system. [6] It had a projected population of 1,127,001 in 2018.[2]. Dessalegn, Beza. Severe climate shocks Globally, floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and intense, severely. The Ethiopian Prime Minister called out his neighbors for fueling the recent round of violence in Ethiopia's western Benishangul-Gumuz region where the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is located. Violence in Benishangul-Gumuz Endangers Ethiopia - Foreign Policy The reconciliatory act has also aggrieved those who have suffered in the process of the conflict and who have been waiting for justice.