Both countries are opposed to the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without negotiation. Returning people to their previous villages without ensuring these preconditions may result in renewed rounds of displacement and devastation. Sudans recent claim to Metekkel and particularly to Guba district has shocked the region. Violence Displaces Sudanese, South Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia - VOA In December 2019, about 200 people were killed in the Metekel massacre. In, James, Wendy. Control of the area must be regained. 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. In the latest episode, witnesses said that men of the Gumuz ethnic group, armed with rifles and swords, stormed into Daletti village early Tuesday. Aside to inserting new jaw dropping territorial claims including Benishangul-Gumuz region, Sudan also announced that it possesses documents confirming Ethiopia's recognition of the disputed . 1985. 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. This claim gained momentum after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed power in April 2018. Clashes had occasionally erupted in the past in the region that is home to various ethnic groups, including Gumuz, Agaws and Shinasas and the Amhara. 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. 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. Relatively low-lying but with an annual rainfall in excess of 1,000mm, this remote and poorly developed area . The hydro-electricity dam is now nearly complete and has begun filling to provide direly needed energy supply to Ethiopia. The road has a 365-meter bridge that crosses the Abay. 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%). Although Mr. Abiy declared victory in Tigray last month, United Nations officials say the fight continues. Many considered Demekes speech to be emotion-led and forwarded under the pressure of Amhara nationalists. Insecurity has prevented people from accessing their land for next years farming. Ethiopian officials have insisted that the dam will not impede on both Sudan and Egypt's water supply. About 90% of Egypt's population lives along the Nile River, with the waterway providing nearly all Egyptians with drinking water. All the cooking and brewing is carried out in earthen pots, which are made by women. The Ethiopian Emperor Susenyos invaded the area in 1617/18, and it fell to the Funj Sultanate in 1685. 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. There have been repeated episodes of intercommunal violence over the years. In. Gumuz people - Wikipedia The murky politics behind the Metekel massacres, Benishangul conflict spurred by investment, land titling, rumors, Although the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE). 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. Originally, all Gumuz adorned their bodies with scarifications, but this custom is disappearing through government pressure and education. [1] Around 67,000 Gumuz also lived in Sudan. 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 regional government announced the signing of an agreement with the militia group on 18 May in Gilgel Beles town. 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. Benishangul-Gumz Regional Health Bureau; Benishangul-Gumz Regional Health Bureau. I Preniloti: unarcaica provincia culturale in Africa. [15] Archaeologists have found sites that they date to the end of the 1st millennium BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium AD and assign them to the forerunners of today's Komuz-speaking ethnic groups. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). UNHCR and partners have moved refugees from Sudan and South Sudan to safety in Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz region. 1989. "Experimenting with Non-Territorial Autonomy: Indigenous Councils in Ethiopia". Eastern Africa: Millions displaced, amid growing hunger, 'unprecedented UNHCR, partners rush to aid thousands of refugees in Benishangul Gumuz Alessandro Triulzi, "Trade, Islam, and the Mahdia in Northwestern Wallagg, Ethiopia". We are seeing the beginning of one more potentially big refugee crisis in the world, Haavisto said. 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. Survivors of a massacre in December in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia. 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 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. [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. Egypt has long been called the "gift of the Nile" as it has historically depended on the river for survival. Blood was flooding from his neck, he said. 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. Ethiopian army 'kills militants' behind village massacre - DW 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. Are there fears of exclusion? [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. They also began to spread Islam among the Berta. Both Egypt and Sudan argue that the dam affects the flow of the Nile waters into their respective countries. Gumuz who have had to flee their villages due to targeted violence from communities who cast blame en masse are not getting needed support. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team. "The sea is rising in the Mediterranean Sea, and the land is sinking in the Nile Delta. Tsega Etefa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Do their policies help peace or exacerbate conflict? . The diplomatic dispute with Sudan and Egypt should be solved through dialogue and the dam negotiations should proceed amicably. Benishangul -Gumuz. 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. 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. Moussa said that the Benishangul-Gumuz region was part of Sudan in the past, and that there is an Egyptian-Sudanese escalation in light of Ethiopias intransigence in the GERD file. Returning the displaced people into their villages will bring durable solutions but should be carefully handled. These attacks were premeditated and highly prepared, he said. 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. But the region is also home to minority Amharas, Oromos, Tigrayans and Agaws a source of escalating tension. Instead, cross-border trade has increased, away from official pathways. Climate change, population growth and a regional fight for water resources are all contributing to the risk of water imbalance, experts say. All Gumuz are organized in clans. Muferiat Kemal, Ethiopias minister of peace, now says that the area has become a juncture for different interest groups.. Many of those who are still in the region are not getting humanitarian aid. 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. A sharp increase in food and fuel costs and conflict-caused displacement are being compounded by a worsening climate crisis. This operation has lasted more than three months, and we do not see the end, Haavisto said. On April 22, the government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commissionannounced that an armed group has taken full control of a county in Benishangul-Gumuz, killing and committing acts of violence against civilians, while security forces could not stop it. Dozens killed in 'gruesome' bus attack in western Ethiopia As of 2007, there were around 159,418 Gumuz in Ethiopia. They encouraged attacks on non-Gumuz inhabitants who they felt would gain the upper hand in the administration of the Metekkel zone if the current federal arrangement were to be altered. Bambasi has a longitude and latitude of 945N 3444E with an elevation of 1668 meters above sea level. This page was last edited on 12 March 2023, at 23:23. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review: We also offer team plans. Ethnic targeting means minorities are not able to move freely in the region, nor in neighboring towns in the Amhara region. 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. In several parts of the Gumuz area, the settlers' economy dominated by 2018. Associate Professor of History, Colgate University. James, Wendy. Rural population was 424,432, while the urban population was 36,027. PDF Challenges and Boons of Refugee on the Host Communities - ResearchGate With national and international attention being pulled in many directionsmost notably towards war in Tigraythe problems of Benishangul-Gumuz are being eclipsed. 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. Rashid Abdi on Twitter: "Until yesterday, 3,364 people from 62 [17], In the first quarter of the 19th century, Arab traders arrived from Sennar, which was occupied by Ottoman Egypt from 1821. 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. Dozens Die in Ethnic Massacre in Troubled Ethiopian Region, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/world/africa/ethiopia-ethnic-killings.html. There have been reports that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces took measure on up to 500 youths reportedly coming from Sudan with training and armament. Communities have been torn apart. Unseth, Peter. It criticised Sudan's 1 May claim of sovereignty over Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region, where the dam is being constructed. In particular, the proposed power-sharing arrangements with the militias has raised many eyebrows. In the absence of any official Egyptian comment on the developments in Benishangul-Gumuz and the Ethiopian accusations, Egyptian media outlets lashed out at Addis Ababa and backed the rebellion in the region. Firstly, government-sponsored reconciliation efforts were made since the eruption of the violence which, unfortunately, failed to produce the expected outcome. The national government should safeguard the rights of the indigenous and minority groups who are endangered by mob-minded community members desperate for revenge. UNHCR says most of the asylum seekers who fled ethnic violence in Benishangul-Gumuz region have been living among Sudanese host communities. The river provides nearly all Egyptians with drinking water. 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. Opposition political parties, like the Boro Democratic Party (BDP), rejected the 18 May agreement between the regional government and the leaders of the militias, which included power-sharing elements, as illegitimaterecalling that the only way to assume power should be through an election. I suspect justice means something different to the rebel group than to this author and government. A general view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. 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. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Egypt's population of 109 million is projected to grow significantly in decades, further straining the demand for water in the region. 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. Unseth, Peter. In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country should be ready for a war with Egypt over the dispute. Simmoons, Frederick. But funding gaps has forced @WFP to make difficult decisions about who receives food and who goes without. The remaining four seats belong to the Mao Komo Special Wereda. Of course, fulfilling the preconditions requires coordinated and concerted action among humanitarian organizations and government entities. 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. This is an escalation of the border dispute between Sudan and. 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. 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. He was born in Metekel and worked in Benishangul-Gumuz for almost a decade. Benshangul/Gumuz Region/ - Ethiopia Peace Observatory 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. They fired their guns and used swords to attack anyone they came across women, children, elderly people.. Ethiopia may not have control over the behavior of Egypt and Sudan. 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. [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.
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