UNHCR, COR and partners are also responding to their needs. 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. Their claim to the entire Metekkel zone has fuelled Gumuz militia attacks on non-Gumuz residents. Some of ethnic groups native to the Benishangul-Gumuz region are: Five of these ethnic groups (Berta, Gumuz, Shinasha, Mao and Kwama) are granted the exclusive right to non-territorially functioning indigenous councils. In the end, the violence in western Ethiopia is a confluence of local, regional, national and, possibly, foreign interests. 1939-40. The hazardous intersection of thrice-rescheduled elections, the issue of a second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and emerging conflicts with regional neighbors make the countrys future increasingly unpredictable. While the world is focusing on the humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia caused by the war between the federal government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, brutal repetitive attacks have taken place in the Metekkel zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz state in western Ethiopia. The command post set a deadline for the militias to lay down their arms and surrender on 8 December 2020. As time passes, the Gumuz militias are strengthening their holdings and capacity, expanding and imposing their presence into Kamashi and Assosa zones. The area has been under the stewardship of the command post since September 2020. Both Egypt and Sudan argue that the dam affects the flow of the Nile waters into their respective countries. But if the ethnic federal framework is altered by the Prosperity Party, that would affect the interests of the majority Gumuz community profoundly. The situation [in Metekel] has rapidly escalated in the past three months, Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesman, told reporters in Geneva. Muferiat Kemal, Ethiopias minister of peace, now says that the area has become a juncture for different interest groups.. The government and its intelligence sector should reassess the routes and ways through which the militias are getting logistical support. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed headed a meetingof Ethiopias National Security Council on April 24 to discuss the developments in Benishangul-Gumuz. Ethiopias former ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front. Consideration must be given to minority rights in order to reconcile important democratic principles with realities on the ground. Slavery did not disappear in Ethiopia until the 1940s. The stories the refugees are bringing they are fleeing attacks from their opponents, Baloch said. Bambasi has a longitude and latitude of 945N 3444E with an elevation of 1668 meters above sea level. 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.. ", The following day, Ethiopias Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele referred to plots against his country, due to the GERD. Rashid Abdi on Twitter: "Until yesterday, 3,364 people from 62 All the cooking and brewing is carried out in earthen pots, which are made by women. Ahmad, Abdussamad H. 1995. With national and international attention being pulled in many directionsmost notably towards war in Tigraythe problems of Benishangul-Gumuz are being eclipsed. 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). There are also Sudanese and Egyptian interests to consider. The Gumuz enjoyed administrative rights over Metekkel zone. Climate change, population growth and a regional fight for water resources are all contributing to the risk of water imbalance, experts say. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Communities have been torn apart. Amharas are the second most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia and they have been targeted repeatedly over the last year. This is because the Blue Nile, which originates from Ethiopia, supplies up to 80% of the Nile waters. There have been repeated episodes of intercommunal violence over the years. Ahmad, Abdussamad H. 1999. News: Benishangul Gumuz region signs peace agreement with second rebel There are several people, including children, who have lost their whole family due to the conflict. Government safety-net programs were essentially unknown by the residents. 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. [15][14], Later in the 19th century, Benishangul was affected by the Mahdi uprising. 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. Ethiopia may not have control over the behavior of Egypt and Sudan. 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. By foregoing action to investigate crimes and ensure accountability, the signed agreement has also neglected the issue of justicea foundation of sustainable peace. Already, reports indicate the presence of training operations for militias in the Ethiopia-Sudan border. [1] Around 67,000 Gumuz also lived in Sudan. For the umpteenth time, we call on the federal and regional authorities to scale up security in Metekel, he said, referring to the district of Benishangul-Gumuz where the killings took place. That is why we must all persevere and do our part., Ethiopias parliamentary committee tasked with appraising the dispute over the GERD officially accused Sudan and Egypt on March 5 of standing behind the violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz region.. 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. 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. Even heavily guarded transport vehicles traveling to the GERD site, escorted by troops of armed personnel, are not safe from militia attacks. Dessalegn, Beza. 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. Lifelines: exchange marriage among the Gumuz. 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.. In 2021, Egypt and Sudan held joint military exercises to showcase security ties between the two countries in response to the ongoing conflict, the Associated Press reported. 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. It criticised Sudan's 1 May claim of sovereignty over Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region, where the dam is being constructed. 1985. 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. The country is facing an annual water deficit and is estimated to be categorized as water scarce by 2025, according to the United Nations. Ethnic targeting means minorities are not able to move freely in the region, nor in neighboring towns in the Amhara region. . Like other regions in Ethiopia, Benishangul-Gumuz is subdivided into administrative zones. ", 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. 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. "Both because of climate change, and also because of socio economic conditions and population growth.". Selected aspects of Gumuz phonology. Alessandro Triulzi, "Asosa", in: Siegbert Uhlig (Hrsg.). The new influx of refugees into Sudan comes amid tensions between Addis Ababa and Khartoum over a border dispute and the deadlocked talks over a massive dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River. The town is named after the highest point in the Asosa Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Mount Bambasi. 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.. #NEWS ALERT The number of #refugees in eastern Africa has tripled in the last decade to almost 5 million. Food insecurity is likely to rise by seven per cent across South Sudan in the coming months, compared to last year, according to a new UN report on food security, issued on Wednesday, leading humanitarians to renew their call for more humanitarian and livelihoods assistance to stave off looming hunger and enhance resilience. Relatively low-lying but with an annual rainfall in excess of 1,000mm, this remote and poorly developed area . Associate Professor of History, Colgate University. Besides the country is on the verge of being labeled as a pariah state, due to the conflict it has been ignited with western powers.It could be wise of the government, to step down from its rigid and jingoistic stance and try to accommodate to a certain degree, the interest of these three entities. 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. Survivors of a massacre in December in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia. Following the adoption of the 1995 constitution, the region was created from the westernmost portion of the Gojjam province (the part north of the Abay River), and the northwestern portion of the Welega Province (the part south of the Abay). Eastern Africa: Millions displaced, amid growing hunger, 'unprecedented [13] Besides slaves, gold was traditionally an important export of Benishangul. Rural population was 424,432, while the urban population was 36,027. An aerial view of the Nile is seen during World Water Day in Cairo, March 22, 2023. Those living near the Sudanese borderland converted to Islam and a few are Christians, but most Gumuz still maintain traditional religious practices. Material support, which has thus far been in short supply, should be accompanied by psychosocial support. In addition, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) - supported by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, which in the meantime had advanced far south from Eritrea - also fought for the area in the Ethiopian civil war in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Gumuz speak the Gumuz language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family (Bender 1979). Dozens Die in Ethnic Massacre in Troubled Ethiopian Region 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. [16], The area lay as a "buffer zone" or "no man's land" between southern Sennar and Damot in the highlands. Promoting income-generating opportunities in the border area of - IGAD [14], Little is known about its history before the 19th century. The EU has joined the United States in demanding Eritrean troops withdraw. But over the next two years, experts say Egyptians could approach a state of "absolute" water scarcity. [22], Over 60% of this region is covered with forest, including bamboo, eucalyptus and rubber trees, incense and gum forests as well as the indigenous species. Ahmed said that these parties seek to plunge the country into chaos. Its main inhabitants are the Gumuz, Oromo, Awi, Amhara, and Shinasha communities. Violence Displaces Sudanese, South Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia - VOA 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. Rising sea levels are prompting saltwater intrusions that are not only affecting water supply but also spoiling agricultural farmland, according to water management experts. 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. 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. driven curation of top business stories accross 12 industries in the region. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Spirits are called mus'a and are thought to dwell in houses, granaries, fields, trees and mountains. The region has faced major challenges to economic development, due to lack of transportation and communications infrastructure. Alessandro Triulzi: "Beni angul" in: Siegbert Uhlig (Hrsg.). Prioritize your target industries for weekly review: We also offer team plans. 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. The massacre in Benishangul-Gumuz region, along the border with Sudan, is the latest challenge to the regime of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018 promising to unite Ethiopia but has struggled to contain a growing wave of ethnic violence. Ethiopian officials have insisted that the dam will not impede on both Sudan and Egypt's water supply. In 2021, Egypt and Sudan held joint military exercises to showcase security ties between the two countries in response to the ongoing conflict, the Associated Press reported. Simmoons, Frederick. Benishangul Gumuz has an estimated area of 51,000 square kilometers and is located in the north-western part of Ethiopia. Negotiations over an agreement between the three nations over the filling of the dam have stalled recently. The Benshangul/Gumuz Region lies on Ethiopia's western border with Sudan, and shares internal borders with Amhara and Oromia Regions. Under Ethiopia's 1995 federal constitution, the region is autonomous and administered by locals, which was not the case under the Derg military regime or . Flag of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region. This indicated an inability of the government to provide security and maintain law and order in the region. The officials believe that the Prosperity Party, to which they now belong, wants to eliminate the existing federal arrangement which guarantees self-rule to ethnic groups in the country. 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. Text Alerts - Be the first to get breaking news, exclusives, and PRO content. 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. Villages have been razed to the ground. There are a few questions that I wish the author addressed. Yet the Ethiopian side rejected them all, he added. Putting an immediate and lasting end to violence is the first step towards assessing and addressing the heavy impact of unconstrained fighting. What is the rationale behind having an ethnic identity card? Slaves were also smuggled into Sudan across the border, which was established in 1902. Returning the displaced people into their villages will bring durable solutions but should be carefully handled. 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.
Beam Funeral Home Obituaries,
Used Suv For Sale In Craigslist New Jersey,
Articles B
