Raaso is a city in the

Somali Region The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional state ...

of Ethiopia. Situated in the

Afder Zone Afder ( so, Afdheer) is one of the eleven Zones of the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Afder is bordered on the southwest by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from the Liben Zone, on the west by the Oromia Region, on the north by Nogob Zone, ...

, it is the most populated city in the region. The population of the district of Raaso is estimated to be around 941,000. The district of Raaso is inhabited by Sheekhaal, to be specific, the Aw Qutub tribe. Raaso is situated along the Imi–

Ginir Ginir (also transliterated Ghinnir) is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the East Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation between 1750 and 1986 meters above sea level. Ginir is the ...

road, some 40 kilometers north-west of West Imi (or Mirab Imi) village at a latitude and longitude of . The other towns around Raaso district are Buundada which is located on Shabeelle River, Dhaley and others. The area is characterised by thick, hilly bushland with seasonal rivers nearby that may carry water after rains, and where it is easy to dig shallow wells to get water available throughout the year.

The background of the district

On March 15, 2011, the president of the Somali Regional State, Abdi Mohamud Omar asked the regional parliament to approve the densely populated Raaso region and 14 other

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

s as new

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s. The ogaden Adan khayr cabdulle was outraged as the Raaso

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

which hosts almost a

million One million (1,000,000), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian ''millione'' (''milione'' in modern Italian), from ''mille'', "thousand", plus the au ...

residents was subjugated to district level of Afdheer. This declaration was in no doubt driven by the desire to torpedo, the "Liyuu administrative status" sought by the people of the region. We are deeply disappointed with the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. The definition of the country's constitution and given the number of its inhabitants, the Raaso region can't be anything less than 8 districts and hence, a full

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

. We believe the president understands this but is unwilling to do the right thing secondary to tribal

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

in the

Somali Regional State The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional state ...

. But, one may ask, how long will the region's

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

continue putting tribal

before sound policies that in short term might be difficult, but in the long run, will benefit the Somali Regional State? The Raaso

can't be a district

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

ally, administratively, the Raaso region should be made the 10th

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of the Somali Regional State. We recommend the Raaso province to include Salaxaad, Lagahida and West Imay districts. The province should consist of the following districts: Raaso, Dhaley, Buundada, Ceel Afweyn, West Imay , Salaxaad and Lagahida. We believe, this is practical geographically. Federal Affairs Minister

References

Populated places in the Somali Region {{Somali-geo-stub