It even considers that it is the only country entitled to the Nile waters, which Egypt totally rejects. 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. With an estimated area of 49,289.46 square kilometers, this Region has an estimated density of 15.91 people per square kilometer. The Gumuz speak the Gumuz language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family (Bender 1979). Ahmad, Abdussamad H. 1995. Survivors and refugees of the Benishangul-Gumuz massacre walk through the displaced persons camp in the city of Chagni, Ethiopia, Dec. 31, 2020. Communities have been torn apart. ", 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. 1994. I think Marx has correctly identified the weakness of this article. Unseth, Peter. Several investors previously engaged in commercial farming where a variety of cash cropslike seasame and groundnutswere produced for export. UNHCR and partners move refugees to safety in the Benishangul Gumuz region in Ethiopia. Cereal crops are kept in granaries decorated with clay lumps imitating female breasts. The Blue Nile region is situated in the south-eastern part of Sudan, bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan. The GERD is expected to make the country a major power exporter in the region. The agricultural implements and cutting tools of Begemder and Semyen, Ethiopia. Major roads are still closed. The risk of domestic violence is rising. Simmoons, Frederick. Benishangul Gumuz regional authorities have shown solidarity with refugees and identified a new temporary site with capacity to accommodate 20,000 people. As the Berta People's Liberation Movement[21] or Benishangul People's Liberation Movement (BPLM), they - like the Gambella People's Liberation Movement of the Anuak in Gambella - were not accepted as full members of the EPRDF, but became regional partners of the new ruling coalition.[13]. 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. Benishangul-Gumuz (Amharic: , romanized:Benangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia bordering Sudan. Cite Ethiopia Insight and link to this page if republished. 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? 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. The UNHCR said on Tuesday most of the 7,000 asylum seekers who fled Metekel have been living among Sudanese host communities. The Gumuz were hunted as slaves in the era of the emperors. As many social institutions and homes are destroyed, things like infrastructure building and support for reconstructing homes need to be considered. 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. The situation [in Metekel] has rapidly escalated in the past three months, Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesman, told reporters in Geneva. [12], Like the Gambela Region, Benishangul-Gumuz is historically closely linked to neighbouring areas of Sudan, and to a lesser extent to the Ethiopian Highlands. Currently, the regional government has some control in towns where administrative offices are located, but not much beyond that. Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia and Sudan, https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican1275-84, "12 killed in latest attack in western Ethiopia", "Benishangul: At least 60 civilians mostly women, children killed", "More than 100 killed in latest ethnic massacre in Ethiopia", Field recordings from 1980 of traditional music, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gumuz_people&oldid=1144297259, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2008, "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 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. The attacks further threaten the stability of Africas second-most populous nation at a time when Mr. Abiy is already embroiled in an escalating conflict in the northern Tigray region, where he launched a major military operation on Nov. 4 that he said was intended to capture defiant local leaders. It has also sounded the alarm over a very critical malnutrition situation unfolding in the Tigray region, citing continuing insecurity, bureaucracy and the presence of various armed actors as major obstructions to the efforts to deliver life-saving aid. Benshangul-Gumuz Regional Health Bureau P.O. 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. 2023 Al-Monitor, LLC. I Preniloti: unarcaica provincia culturale in Africa. Since then, death from violence been rampant in the whole region. But funding gaps has forced @WFP to make difficult decisions about who receives food and who goes without. On 2 April, unnamed Gumuz militias claimed control of the administrative center of Sedal Wereda in Kamashi, very close to the construction site of the GERD. 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. The Berta rebels instead allied with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which overthrew the Mengistu regime in 1991 with the coalition EPRDF. [17], In the first quarter of the 19th century, Arab traders arrived from Sennar, which was occupied by Ottoman Egypt from 1821. 1989. In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country should be ready for a war with Egypt over the dispute. They speak the Gumuz language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family. It is the administrative center of Bambasi woreda . The Amhara claim should be handled through constitutional means; not by force. Selected aspects of Gumuz phonology. In the absence of effective responses and with such a weak negotiation, popular trust in regional authorities, the command post, and government institutions has been diminished. Sudans recent claim to Metekkel and particularly to Guba district has shocked the region. (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? [19] Until the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in the mid-1930s, the area supplied gold and slaves to the central government on a large scale. La Trib dei Gumus. Weekly A.I. 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. Since its establishment under the 1995 constitution, questions about who has rights in the region have been contested. 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. Data-driven analysis of latest market trends. They are looked down on and insulted as shankila. The most obscure of Ethiopia's regions, practically never visited by tourists, is Benishangul-Gumuz, which runs for about 2,000km along the Sudanese border to the east of Amhara, but is on average no more than 200km. 01 May 2023 17:03:29 The Ethiopian Emperor Susenyos invaded the area in 1617/18, and it fell to the Funj Sultanate in 1685. Rural population was 424,432, while the urban population was 36,027. Al-Monitor.com is a trusted and award-winning independent source of Middle East news and analysis, founded in 2012. 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 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 attacks and tensions remain high. A general view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. And all the ethnic groups in the Metekkel zone should be protected and their issues addressed lawfully. The proposition of arming civilians to curb the violence divided opinions. 1993. 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. Part of this work requires addressing the underlying factors that have fuelled the crisis. He added, "Despite the plots and pressure, Ethiopia will fill the GERD reservoir on time. Ethnic targeting means minorities are not able to move freely in the region, nor in neighboring towns in the Amhara region. This was followed by the killing of over 80 people in a place called Daleti in Metekel Zone. 1939-40. Those living near the Sudanese borderland converted to Islam and a few are Christians, but most Gumuz still maintain traditional religious practices. Benishangul -Gumuz. 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 . Unseth, Peter. Intimate in-person access to policy and business VIPs. No one surrendered per the deadline. Guba is the closest district to Sudan. [15][14], Later in the 19th century, Benishangul was affected by the Mahdi uprising. By foregoing action to investigate crimes and ensure accountability, the signed agreement has also neglected the issue of justicea foundation of sustainable peace. Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts. 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. [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. The problem is not against the principles of a peace dialogue; rather, it is with the points missed and incorporated into the agreement. Amnesty International reported in December that members of the ethnic Gumuz community the ethnic majority in the region attacked the homes of ethnic Amhara, Oromo and Shinasha. On Wednesday, Ethiopia said its military had killed three senior members of Tigrays former ruling party, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, including Seyoum Mesfin, a former foreign minister of Ethiopia. Sister exchange marriage. 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. Even small-scale farm holders used to produce surpluses each year. As time passes, the Gumuz militias are strengthening their holdings and capacity, expanding and imposing their presence into Kamashi and Assosa zones. Studies in Gumuz: Sese phonology and TMA system. 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. Some observers are now saying that the atrocities committed in Metekkel are reaching holocaust proportions. Back in 2003 when I was doing fieldwork for my book on inter-ethnic relations in Metekkel, people from the different communities were unanimous in their desire to coexist peacefully. 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. 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. "Both because of climate change, and also because of socio economic conditions and population growth.". It is becoming unsafe to present identity cards that show the holders ethnicity, even at security checkpoints, as this may result in persecution. Many Gumuz became sedentary while continuing their agricultural system. Still, the killings should have been condemned in the strongest terms possible, and the agreement should have included an attempt to do so. The regional government announced the signing of an agreement with the militia group on 18 May in Gilgel Beles town. The committees head, Abdallah Hamo, said that the committees investigation found that Sudan and Egypt support violence in the region, and that the armed groups received training and illegal weapons at the border with Sudan. On April 19, Ahmed said that Ethiopia will fill the GERD reservoir in July and August, despite objections from the two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan. Severe climate shocks Globally, floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and intense, severely. But the region is also home to minority Amharas, Oromos, Tigrayans and Agaws a source of escalating tension. In, James, Wendy. " The Benishangul-Gumuz region borders Sudan and South Sudan. Bender, M. Lionel. The area comprising Benishangul-Gumuz formally became part of Ethiopia under the terms of a Nile-focused 1902 treaty signed by Emperor Menelik II with Great Britain, which ruled Sudan. The rights group said the Gumuz set the homes on fire and stabbed and shot residents. The cocktail of factors driving the worsening trend in food security for the whole of eastern Africa, will leave 7.74 million people (62.7 per cent of the population) across the country, facing IPC Phase 3 levels, or worse, of acute food insecurity during the lean season between April and July, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. Alessandro Triulzi, "Trade, Islam, and the Mahdia in Northwestern Wallagg, Ethiopia". The region has 20 weredas and two Special Weredas making three Zones of the region. Luxury goods such as textiles and glass beads were imported via Sudan. Gumuz who have had to flee their villages due to targeted violence from communities who cast blame en masse are not getting needed support. What is the impact of the expected great economic benefits of the GERD on peoples behavior now? More and more children below the age of five years are experiencinghigh levels of stunting and wasting, as they lack the nutrients to grow and develop., Families do not know where their next meal will come from and are taking on huge debt, selling off what they can, or sending their children to work, added the Regional Director. The Benishangul Gumuz Peoples Liberation Movement (BPLM) was Sudan based rebel group built its operational zones in Benishangul Gumuz Region around remote areas of Assosa zone. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country should be ready for a war with Egypt over the dispute. Benishangul-Gumuz is also home to the government's prestige $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. High-ranking officials including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the area and discussed with representatives of the people in December 2020. If you dont influence it now then the circumstances will build so that there are more and more refugees coming.. 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. The Abay River (Blue Nile) divides Benishangul-Gumuz, and there was no bridge crossing it until 2012. Egypt's population of 109 million is projected to grow significantly in decades, further straining the demand for water in the region. 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. On the other hand, Egypt considers the dam a major threat to its food security. [10], Religion in Benishangul-Gumuz Region (2007)[11]. This is because the Blue Nile, which originates from Ethiopia, supplies up to 80% of the Nile waters. In, Wallmark, Peter. Ahmad, Abdussamad H. 1999. 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. 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. For many, the agreement is an indication that positive gains can come from unsanctioned violence and may tempt others to achieve their wants through violence. It was not until the mid-20th century that Berta also settled in the lowlands, as slave hunts and armed conflict had ended. [14], Little is known about its history before the 19th century. Meanwhile, the security response in Benishangul-Gumuz is not showing any capability of de-escalation. This indicated an inability of the government to provide security and maintain law and order in the region. 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. 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%). Flag of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region. 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. 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 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. 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,. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Ethiopia's new party is welcome news, but faces big hurdles, area has become a juncture for different interest groups, actors from the neighbouring Amhara state, Why Ethiopia's new leader could be a game changer, opposed to the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without negotiation, owned up to orchestrating ethnic targeted killings, Chief of Staff (Global Culture and Engagement), Lecturer in Environmental Art - School of Art and Design. 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.. The UN says that areas where 80 percent of the regions population live remain cut off from assistance. Afari said, I do not rule out any Egyptian and Sudanese efforts to use the rebels in Ethiopia as a pressure card and to provide them with weapons, in light of the difficult choice to head to a direct war and in an attempt to deter Ethiopia from taking unilateral actions., Samir Ghattas, a former Egyptian member of parliament and head of the Middle East Forum for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, Egypt is in a difficult positionas Ethiopia insists on the second filling of the GERD, and given the difficulty to go into a direct war out of fear of international reactions. The dam's impact on the water supply depends on how fast it's filled, according to Elgendy. 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 national government should safeguard the rights of the indigenous and minority groups who are endangered by mob-minded community members desperate for revenge. 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. [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. An example is that settlers were attracted to a large irrigation project along the Kusa. More than 100,000 people have been displaced and 7,000 people have fled to Sudan. By the middle of the century, the wawi, the descendants of Arabs and Berta, had become the new ruling class. About 90% of Egypt's population lives along the Nile River, with the waterway providing nearly all Egyptians with drinking water. Various trade routes met in Benishangul, and local gold and Ethiopian amole (salt bars) were exchanged for slaves, cattle, horses, iron, civet, musk, coffee, ivory and honey (which also came from the Oromo areas of Sibu and Leeqaa). 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. The number of hungry people in the Sahel and West Africa hasquadrupledover the last three years, currently reaching41 million, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Friday. In the absence of justice, peace cannot prevail. In particular, the proposed power-sharing arrangements with the militias has raised many eyebrows. Regardless, some efforts were tried and they all failed. It is worrying indeed that the attention of national and international actors is turned almost exclusively to the war in Tigray. This figure does not include the uncounted and unreported displacement of Gumuz and Shinasha people that took place within Metekel Zone. The claim stems from the belief that Guba was gifted to Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia (1889-1913) by Khalifa Abdullahi, a Sudanese Mahdist leader, in 1897. Do any of these explain the rebellion? Metekel Zone, located in Benishangul Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, is home to many ethnic groups, such as the Gumuz, the Amharas and the Shinashas. They said that many of the victims were ethnic Amharas and Agaws, who are a minority in that 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.
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