benishangul gumuz sudan

The hydro-electricity dam is now nearly complete and has begun filling to provide direly needed energy supply to Ethiopia. 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. Climate change, population growth and a regional fight for water resources are all contributing to the risk of water imbalance, experts say. Violence in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz region is separate from the deadly conflict in Ethiopias northern Tigray region, which has sent more than 61,000 Ethiopians into Sudans provinces of al-Qadarif and Kassala since fighting erupted in November. Fighters from Amhara, however, have been accused by witnesses of carrying out atrocities along with Ethiopian and Eritrean forces in the Tigray conflict. 01 May 2023 17:03:29 . 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. The region has 20 weredas and two Special Weredas making three Zones of the region. The Gumuz of the Lowlands of Western Gojjam: The frontier in History 1900-1935. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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.. Now, we could be at the point in history where that changes," says Mohammed Mahmoud, a director of the Climate and Water Program at the Middle East Institute. The Amhara claim should be handled through constitutional means; not by force. This is a good article. According to their traditions, in earlier times they inhabited the western parts of the province of Gojjam, but were progressively banished to the inhospitable area of the Blue Nile and its tributaries by their more powerful Afroasiatic-speaking neighbors, the Amhara and Agaw, who also enslaved them (Wolde-Selassie Abbute 2004). 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. Dessalegn Chanie, an Amhara opposition politician, said there had been signs in recent days that armed men from the Oromo and Gumuz ethnic groups were preparing an attack, particularly in areas where there was little federal security presence. 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. While the Blue Nile-Benishangul-Gumuz borderland is not free from conflict, it provides an example of . Commenting on the Ethiopian parliament's accusations that Egypt and Sudan are involved in the violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Awadi, undersecretary of the Egyptian parliamentary Defense and National Security Committee, told Al-Monitor, Egypt will not keep quiet toward Ethiopias intransigence regarding the GERD. Metekkel zone is one of three zones in the Benishangul-Gumuz state. UNHCR and partners move refugees to safety in the Benishangul Gumuz region in Ethiopia. Benishangul-Gumuz is also home to the government's prestige $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The road has a 365-meter bridge that crosses the Abay. Egypt is not the only country that depends on the river -- it's shared by 11 African countries. Advertisement . 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. Many considered Demekes speech to be emotion-led and forwarded under the pressure of Amhara nationalists. ", Ethiopia: Tackling environmental challenges with trees, "Benishangul Gumuz State Council appoints Ahmed Nasir as chief of state", Map of Benishangul-Gumuz Region at UN-OCHA, Map of Benishangul-Gumuz Region at DPPA of Ethiopia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benishangul-Gumuz_Region&oldid=1151047051, This page was last edited on 21 April 2023, at 15:41. Egypt has long been called the "gift of the Nile" as it has historically depended on the river for survival. Survivors of a massacre in December in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia. Uzar, Henning. In a Twitter thread, he said, It is clear that there is a plot designed to thwart our efforts and undermine our very existence. Ethiopias former ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front. The five largest ethnic groups in Benishangul-Gumuz were the Berta (27%), Gumuz (23%), Amhara (22%), Oromo (13%) and Shinasha (7%). Control of the area must be regained. [4] On 28 July 2009, the Regional Rural Roads Authority reported that over the previous year almost 600 of the 800 kilometers of local all-weather roads had been upgraded at a cost of 11.5 million birr, and an additional 447 kilometers of roads constructed. Associate Professor of History, Colgate University. "Both because of climate change, and also because of socio economic conditions and population growth.". The dam's impact on the water supply depends on how fast it's filled, according to Elgendy. 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. The UNHCR said on Tuesday most of the 7,000 asylum seekers who fled Metekel have been living among Sudanese host communities. Many Gumuz became sedentary while continuing their agricultural system. Receive daily updates directly in your inbox -, Eastern Africa: Millions displaced, amid growing hunger, unprecedented needs, FAO ramps up support to Sudan farmers as starvation threat grows in East Africa, Hunger still rising across East Africa, says new UN-backed report, Battle not yet over against locust invasions in East Africa and Yemen, Humanitarians urge action to avert famine in Somalia and South Sudan, Sub-Saharan Africa under threat from multiple humanitarian crises. I suspect justice means something different to the rebel group than to this author and government. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? May 5, 2021 CAIRO Violence has been ongoing in Ethiopia's western region of Benishangul-Gumuz where the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is located, with Ethiopia announcing April 26 that more than 200 people were killed and thousands were displaced in the ongoing clashes between the government forces and armed groups. These traders married into the Berta upper class and thus gained political influence. The most affected states are Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, Lakes, Eastern Equatoria (Kapoeta East) and Warrap - more than 80 per cent of those food insecure. 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. Negotiations over an agreement between the three nations over the filling of the dam have stalled recently. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he was sending more soldiers to secure Ethiopia's restive Benishangul-Gumuz area after armed gunmen killed more than 100 civilians. We are seeing the beginning of one more potentially big refugee crisis in the world, Haavisto said. The region shares a border on the west with Sudan and is also the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). 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. 1986. Slaves were also smuggled into Sudan across the border, which was established in 1902. 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. In particular, the proposed power-sharing arrangements with the militias has raised many eyebrows. A general view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. The threat of famine is very real in Somalia and South Sudan and urgent action is needed now to avoid a catastrophe, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday. Even small-scale farm holders used to produce surpluses each year. Gumuz who have had to flee their villages due to targeted violence from communities who cast blame en masse are not getting needed support. 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. This is because the Blue Nile, which originates from Ethiopia, supplies up to 80% of the Nile waters. In. Sorghum is used for cooking porridge (nga) and brewing beer (kea). Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics. 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,. In. I Preniloti: unarcaica provincia culturale in Africa. Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East, Ethiopian PM accuses Egypt, Sudan of backing unrest in western region. But a day later, armed men attacked a village, leaving at least 100 people dead, according to human rights groups. This is an escalation of the border dispute between Sudan and. Major roads are still closed. It was the latest of several bloody outbursts over the past year in the western region of Benishangul-Gumuz, along the border with Sudan, where ethnic tensions are running high. The stories the refugees are bringing they are fleeing attacks from their opponents, Baloch said. But over the next two years, experts say Egyptians could approach a state of "absolute" water scarcity. [14][20], Resistance to the Mengistu regime here came mainly from the Berta. Most Gumuz members live in a bush-savanna lowland environment. "It will determine the impact of this disruption and the reduction to the volumes of water that goes to Egypt," he said. Even heavily guarded transport vehicles traveling to the GERD site, escorted by troops of armed personnel, are not safe from militia attacks. 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. A group of Gumuz men came to our village chanting leave our land, said Sebsibie Ibrahim, 36, a shop owner in Metekel district, speaking by phone. 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. The area has been under the stewardship of the command post since September 2020. He notes that they hunted with bows and arrows, a custom that survives today. At the same time as Ashadli Hassan, the regional president, and the command post were signing agreements with unnamed leaders of the Gumuz militia in Gilgel Beles and the administrative center of Metekel Zone, militia members were attacking the Almahal town in Guba Wereda. 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. [17], In the first quarter of the 19th century, Arab traders arrived from Sennar, which was occupied by Ottoman Egypt from 1821. 1980. This figure does not include the uncounted and unreported displacement of Gumuz and Shinasha people that took place within Metekel Zone. Sister exchange marriage. Meanwhile, the security response in Benishangul-Gumuz is not showing any capability of de-escalation. Insecurity has prevented people from accessing their land for next years farming. 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. Villages have been razed to the ground. The agricultural implements and cutting tools of Begemder and Semyen, Ethiopia. It needs to change. However, Ethiopia Insight will correct clear factual errors. [14], Under the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who ruled Ethiopia from 1974, some 250,000 drought- and famine-stricken peasants from the highlandsmostly Amharas from Wollo provincewere relocated to Benishangul-Gumuz from 1979 and especially in the mid-1980s. UNHCR and partners have moved refugees from Sudan and South Sudan to safety in Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz region. Abiys visit to the area was, unfortunately, followed by an escalation of the conflict and mass killings. 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. Like other regions in Ethiopia, Benishangul-Gumuz is subdivided into administrative zones. What we need from the Ethiopian government is the green light to the humanitarian community to negotiate access to the Eritrean-controlled areas, to the opposition-controlled areas, he said. With an estimated area of 49,289.46 square kilometers, this Region has an estimated density of 15.91 people per square kilometer. Main languages are the Berta (25.15%), Amharic (22.46%), Gumuz (20.59%), Oromo (17.69%), Shinasha (4.58%) and Awngi (4.01%). "I believe there will come a point where some level of cooperation has to happen, because there is no other alternative," says Mahmoud. The region's capital is Assosa. Despite efforts to make resources stretch through prioritisation schemes, the agencies are having to prioritize food assistance for the most vulnerable families,they saidin a press release, while the sheer number of refugees in need of support has grown, along with the gap between resourcing and needs. 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. The Ethiopian Emperor Susenyos invaded the area in 1617/18, and it fell to the Funj Sultanate in 1685. Isnt your residence enough for identity and language service purposes? Learn how your comment data is processed. It is becoming unsafe to present identity cards that show the holders ethnicity, even at security checkpoints, as this may result in persecution. 1989. 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. Getting people out of harms way and shielding them from serious protection risks also requires that their food needs are adequately addressed.. As "Shanquella", they are already mentioned by Scottish explorer James Bruce in his Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, published in 1790. The Berta rebels instead allied with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which overthrew the Mengistu regime in 1991 with the coalition EPRDF. They also began to spread Islam among the Berta. CAIRO Violence has been ongoing in Ethiopia's western region of Benishangul-Gumuz where the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is located, with Ethiopiaannouncing April 26 that more than 200 people were killed and thousands were displaced in the ongoing clashes between the government forces and armed groups. UNHCR and partners move refugees to safety in the Benishangul Gumuz region in Ethiopia. Before picking a side, it is important to put the agreement between the militias and the regional government into perspective. This indicated an inability of the government to provide security and maintain law and order in the region. All Gumuz are organized in clans. 28 Apr 2023 16:34:36 The dust of the violence in Metekel has not yet settled and threatens to spread into neighboring zones, raising fears of escalating conflict. 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. There are also Sudanese and Egyptian interests to consider. Many of those who are still in the region are not getting humanitarian aid. Although Mr. Abiy declared victory in Tigray last month, United Nations officials say the fight continues. As many social institutions and homes are destroyed, things like infrastructure building and support for reconstructing homes need to be considered. "Experimenting with Non-Territorial Autonomy: Indigenous Councils in Ethiopia". The parliamentary defense committee affirms the Egyptians right to resort to all means so as to preserve their rights, and that all options are available in countering the Ethiopian intransigence.. This is the viewpoint of the author. Lifelines: exchange marriage among the Gumuz. [16], The area lay as a "buffer zone" or "no man's land" between southern Sennar and Damot in the highlands. In, Wallmark, Peter. An aerial view of the Nile is seen during World Water Day in Cairo, March 22, 2023. Eighteen years later, marginalisation, ethnic exclusion, poor governance and the absence of workable democratic mechanisms have significantly affected community relations. (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? [13] In the late 19th century, Ethiopia, under Menelik II, annexed the Sultanates of Beni Shangul and Gubba (Qubba in Arabic) at the behest of Abdallahi ibn Muhammad of Sudan who feared the British would occupy it. But attacks and tensions remain high. The diplomatic dispute with Sudan and Egypt should be solved through dialogue and the dam negotiations should proceed amicably.

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