Itang is a

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''. These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...

Gambela Region The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella; am, ጋምቤላ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region, is a regional state in western Ethiopia, bordering South Sudan. Previously known as Region 12, its capital is Gambela. The Region is situated ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. Because Itang is not part of any zone in the Gambela Region, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area. It is bordered on the south and southeast by the Anuak Zone, on the west by the Nuer Zone, on the northwest by

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

, and on the north by the

Oromia Region Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benis ...

; part of the southern boundary is defined by the Alwero River. The major town in Itang is

Itang Itang (also spelled ''Etang'';"Census 2007"
, first draft, p. 81 Baro, which the Alwero is a tributary of. According to the ''Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy'' published by the

Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency (CSA; Amharic: ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ) is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growt ...

(CSA), around 10% of the woreda is forest. A notable landmark is the

Gambela National Park Gambella National Park, also spelled Gambela National Park, is a large national park in Ethiopia. It is the nation's largest national park and is located several hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa. It was established in 1974, but is not fully pr ...

, which embraces the woreda south of the Baro. The economy of Itang is predominantly agricultural. There are no agricultural cooperatives, no documented roads, and little other infrastructure. The woreda is one of the highly affected wordas by floods.

History

At the start of the

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, Itang was part of the Administrative Zone 1; however between 2001 and 2007 it was separated from that Zone and became a special woreda. In 1987, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers massacred about 16 civilians (most of them women and children) and militiamen in the village of Akado in Itang, the site of a former American mission. Local Anuak militia and the SPLA clashed in Akado two years later, resulting in the deaths of 10 SPLA men and 14 local people. A 2002 United Nations Emergency Unit for Ethiopia assessment report mentions increasing conflict during the first part of that year between the Anuak and

Nuer Nuer may refer to: * Nuer people * Nuer language The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gamb ...

in this woreda over control of arable land along the rivers where the Anuak normally farm.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the

of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 35,686, an increase of 190.14% over the 1994 census, of whom 17,955 are men and 17,731 women; with an area of 2,188.34 square kilometers, Itang has a population density of 16.31. While 5,958 or 16.7% are urban inhabitants, a further 278 or 0.78% are pastoralists. A total of 6,578 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 5.4 persons to a household, and 6,248 housing units. The main ethnicities of this Zone are the Nuer (63.96%), Anuak (25.17%), foreigners from Sudan (4.62%), Shita (2.66%), and all other ethnic groups 3.59%. Languages spoken in this Zone include

(68.72%), Anuak (25.75%), and Opuuo (2.66%). The religion with the largest number of believers is

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

with 81.63% of the population, while other groups with sizable followings are traditional beliefs (7.54%),

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

6.27%, and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

2.62%. According to the 1994 national census, the woreda's population was reported to be 18,768 in 17,156 households, of whom 9,408 were men and 9,360 women; 2,106 or 11.22% of the population were urban inhabitants. The two largest ethnic groups in Itang were the Nuer (47.74%) and the Anuak (46.68%); all other ethnic groups made up 5.58% of the population.''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Gambela Region'', Vol. 1
, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.15, 2.18, 2.23 (accessed 1 September 2009) However the local Anuak do not accept these numbers, claiming that Nuers from Sudan crossed to be counted during that census, especially in Itang.Abraham Sewonet
"Breaking the Cycle of Conflict in Gambella Region''
Assessment Mission: 23–29 December 2002 Nuer is spoken as a first language by 47.74%, and 46.73% speak Anuak; the remaining 5.53% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants said they were

, with 52.77% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 17.05% professed

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chri ...

, 7.36% practiced traditional religions, and 3.1% were

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Itang (Woreda) Gambela Region Special woredas of Ethiopia