Somalis in Ethiopia refers to ethnic
Somalis
The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
residing in
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 ...
, particularly 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 ...
. Their language is primarily
Somali and are majority
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
adhering while there is Christian minority in the group. According to 2008 census based on
Central Statistical Authority, Somali was the third largest
ethnic group in Ethiopia with 4,560,000 population, accounting 6.2% after
Oromo (34.4%),
Amhara (27%).
History
Early presence
Somalis
The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
first appeared around 1200 AD and began building nation-state networks to various states in the forms of sultanates since the 16th century. In 1550, they converted to Islam under influence of Arab traders settled near coast of present-day
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
Adal Sultanate
The Adal Sultanate, or the Adal Empire or the ʿAdal or the Bar Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling ''Adel Sultanate, ''Adal ''Sultanate'') () was a medieval Sunni Muslim Empire which was located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din ...
was one of the most powerful state with capital
Zeila
Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland.
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bibli ...
(in present-day
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
) in the 15th and 16th centuries.
There is no ample evidence that Somalis inhabited Greater Ethiopia until the
expansion
Expansion may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine
* ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004
* ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970
* ''Expansio ...
of
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Menelik II
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
to south, south-east in the late 19th century. There are historical records that Ethiopia accessed port of Zeila, but not
Ogaden
Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; so, Ogaadeen, am, ውጋዴ/ውጋዴን) is one of the historical names given to the modern Somali Region, the territory comprising the eastern portion of Ethiopia formerly part of the Harargh ...
included to the subject.
1884–1960
In 1884, during the
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...
, a vast land of Somalia fell under three colonial domains: the
British protectorate of Somaliland was established through a number of Anglo-Somali Treaties of Protection. In the same manner, the Italians took direct claims of Italian Somalia and it's coast in 1889. This was resolved in 1891 Anglo-Italian Treaty with British colonial powers on their sphere of influence in the East Africa (mainly Ethiopia, Somalia, and
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
).
![Italo-Somali-War 1896](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Italo-Somali-War_1896.jpg)
In accordance with
Treaty of Wuchale
The Treaty of Wuchale (also spelled Treaty of Ucciale; it, Trattato di Uccialli, am, የውጫሌ ውል) was a treaty signed between the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. The signing parties were King Menelik II of Shewa, acting as ...
(1889) signed between Ethiopia and Italy, Italy, acting as protector of Ethiopia, demarcated the boundary between Ethiopia and British Somaliland as follows:
The boundary of the spheres of influence of Great Britain and of Italy in the regions of the Gulf of Aden shall be constituted by a line which, starting from Gildessa eldesaand running toward the eighth degree of north latitude, skirts the north-east frontier of the territories of the Girrhi, Bertiti, and Rer Ali Tribes, leaving to the right the villages of Gildessa, Darmi, Gig, and Milmil. On reaching the eighth degree of the north latitude the line follows that parallel as far as its intersection with the 48th degree of longitude east of Greenwich.
Ignoring the Anglo-Italian Treaty that laid foundation of
Gadabuursi
The Gadabuursi ( Somali: ''Gadabuursi'', Arabic: جادابورسي), also known as ''Samaroon'' (Arabic: ''قبيلة سَمَرُون)'', is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.
The Gadabuursi are geographically s ...
tribe land under British protectorate, Menelik attempted and penetrated Somali territory in 1896 by building some grass hits at Alola, a spring located in the southeast of Biyo Kabobe. Menelik erected flag by claiming Gadabuursi and Issa tribe's territories (in present-day
Shinile
Shinile ( so, Shiniile) is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Shinile Zone of the Somali Region, it is 9km northeast of Dire Dawa, the first station of the Ethio-Djibouti Railways east of Dire Dawa is at Shinile.
Demographics
The town' ...
,
Jijiga
Jijiga (, am, ጅጅጋ, ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 70 km (37 mi) west of the border ...
to
Awbare
Awbare (Amharic: አውበሬ, so, Aw Barre), officially known as Teferi BerTeferi Ber is the name used by the Central Statistical Agency in it''Agricultural Sample Enumeration 2001-2002 (1994 E.C.): Report on Area and Production - Somali Regi ...
) belongs to the
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
.
Menelik proposed boundary extension of his Empire to Western Somali territories of Ogaden and submitted to Italy on 24 June 1896, and one year later. Italy unilaterally agreed its boundaries by only telegraphing without proper agreement.
In 1897, the Ethiopian Empire continued its expansion territories of the south and southeast where Somali people settled, reached an agreement with the British to demarcate border between Ethiopia and British Somaliland, excluding
Haud
The Haud (also Hawd) (, ), formerly known as the Hawd Reserve Area is a plateau situated in the Horn of Africa consisting of thorn-bush and grasslands. The region includes the southern part of Somaliland as well as the northern and eastern parts ...
in Ethiopia. In the treaty, British ceded Somali territory to the Menelik in exchange for his help fighting against Somali clans. However, the treaty occurred when Ethiopia, the British administration and Somali people were not consulted and informed. In addition, the treaty violated an agreement between the British and Somali clans in which it was one of the main reasons that Somali's denied the validity of the treaty.
![Somali soldiers Aden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Somali_soldiers_Aden.jpg)
In 1907,
Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement
The Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement was a joint effort between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom at reestablishing Ethiopian independent statehood following the ousting of Italian troops by combined British and Ethiopian forces in 1941 during the Secon ...
demarcated their boundary with the British East African protectorate (Kenya). This placed Italian Somaliland in a rectangular point where
Dewa and
Genale
Genale is a town founded by Italian colonists in the southeastern Lower Shebelle (Shabeellaha Hoose) region of Italian Somalia. Currently it is called Janaale.
History
Genale was created in 1924 by a group of settlers from the Italian city of T ...
rivers conjoin.
In December 1934, the
Welwal incident was erupted in
Welwal located in
Dollo Zone
Dollo ( so, Doollo) is one of the nine zones in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was previously known as Warder/Werder, so named after its largest city, Warder. Dollo is bordered on the southwest by Korahe, on the northwest by Jarar, on the ...
of the Somali, as the beginning of the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...
and Italian occupation of Ethiopia. During an occupation, the British Somaliland annexed to
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Seco ...
to Haud and Ogaden region. From this point, Italy promoted promoted and initiated the idea of "Greater Somalia", constituting Somali settled territories. By September 1940,
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
declared the formation of Greater Somalia into the
Italian Empire
The Italian colonial empire ( it, Impero coloniale italiano), known as the Italian Empire (''Impero Italiano'') between 1936 and 1943, began in Africa in the 19th century and comprised the colonies, protectorates, concessions and dependencie ...
.
![SNM training academy (Aware)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/SNM_training_academy_%28Aware%29.png)
In 1941, the British entered the
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centur ...
, Haud and Ogaden with the help of Ethiopian armies. Soon after the restoration of
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
rule, the Haud and Ogaden region immediately placed under
British military administration until
Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement
The Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement was a joint effort between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom at reestablishing Ethiopian independent statehood following the ousting of Italian troops by combined British and Ethiopian forces in 1941 during the Secon ...
of 1942 warranted its sovereignty status in 1944. The first Somali nationalist group was emerged in May 1943 called
Somali Youth Club (later renamed SYL) by thirteenth young Somali nationalist operating its field offices in Ogaden region, particularly in Jijiga and
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
.
In 1946, the British foreign secretary,
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader, and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union in the years 1922–19 ...
, proposed to the Allied Council of Foreign Ministers a plan to place the Somali-inhabited territories under the British Military Administration. Unfortunately the Bevin Plan was rejected and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, United States and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
blatantly stood against that plan.
![Brit Somaliland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Brit_Somaliland.JPG)
In 1948, the British administration withdrew from Ogaden and without formal concession using secret agenda, the British handed the region to Ethiopia. Thus, the modern
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 ...
united to Ethiopia. In 1955, the British administration withdrew from the Haud and the Reserved Area, and Ethiopia took all over the territories. In March 1955, the
National United Front
The National United Front ( my, အမျိုးသား ညီညွတ်ရေး တပ်ပေါင်းစု) was a political alliance in Myanmar, Burma.
History
The alliance was formed in 1955 as a successor to the People's Democr ...
(NUF) attempted to retake the Haud and the Reserved Area and to end the Somalia rule under British protectorate, culminating in series violent clashes and conflicts.
In 1958, the
UN Trusteeship Council
The United Nations Trusteeship Council (french: links=no, Conseil de tutelle des Nations unies) is one of the organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations, established to help ensure that United Nations Trust Territor ...
appointed arbitration tribunal for the disputed territories between Ethiopia and Somalia with futile effort. Somalia constantly denied the Anglo-Ethiopian delimitation of 1897 and provided no legal recognition. In 1948 and 1954 discontent led to liberate and cede the Greater Somalia and subsequently denied the validity of Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of 1897.
1960–1995
![The Somaliland Protectorate Constitutional Conference, London](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/The_Somaliland_Protectorate_Constitutional_Conference%2C_London.png)
Following Somalia's independence in 1960, its successive government launched campaign what they called "lost territories" and raised the issues to regional and international communities like the United Nations and Organization of Islamic countries. Consecutive governments of Somalia attempted to incorporate the regions and established the
Somali Republic
The Somali Republic ( so, Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliyeed; it, Repubblica Somala; ar, الجمهورية الصومالية, Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmālīyyah) was a sovereign state composed of Somalia and Somaliland, following the unification o ...
to achieve Greater Somalia. The hostility between Ethiopia and Somalia relations grew faster, even garnered international interests involving Somali pastoralists and Ethiopian police forces in the region. In February 1964, a brief war was started in the border until Sudan mediates in front of
Organization of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
. Minister from both sides met in
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
to announce ceasefire with 15 km military withdrawal from both sides.
In 1966, Ethiopia suspended martial law in the Somali Region and neighboring Oromo region accompanied by shocking retribution against herders to force them renounce their support for the fighters. Many of these were applied through confiscation, arbitrary arrests, to control water points and destroying their livestock.
![Ogaden Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Ogaden_Map.jpg)
In 1973,
Western Somali Liberation Front
The Western Somali Liberation Front ( so, Jabhadda Xoreynta Somali Galbeed; abbreviated WSLF) was a separatist rebel group fighting in eastern Ethiopia to create an independent state. It played a major role in the Ogaden War of 1977-78 assisting ...
(WSLF) was established and recruit reluctant inhabitants of the region. Somalia supported WSLF, Somali Abo Liberation Front (SALF) and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) to weaken the Ethiopian forces in the region as well to destabilize the country. In 1977, large-scale war launched known as
Ogaden War
The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War (, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orineti), was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopi ...
after
Somali National Army
The Somali National Army ( Somali: ''Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed,'' lit. ''"Somali Ground Forces"'') is the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces, and is the largest out of the three service branches that make up the majority of the A ...
crossed the border into Ethiopia and carried out military operations in
Degehabur
Degehabur ( so, Dhagaxbuur, Amharic: ደገሕ ቡር) is a town in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Degehabur Zone of the Somali Region on the Jerer River, Degahbur is traditionally the seat of the Dalalguuleed by subclan ...
,
Kebri Dahar
Kebri dehar ( so, Qabri-Dahare) is a city in the eastern part of Ethiopia known as the Somali Region. Located in the Korahe Zone of the Somali Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1609 meters above sea level. ...
, Warder and Godey taking control of Jijiga and other western region in the first few weeks of the war. The Soviet Union, Cuba, and
South Yemen
South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...
supported Ethiopia's
Derg
The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
government led by Colonel
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Work ...
and force Somali troops back to the area occupied and led to weakening the government. In March 1978,
Siad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...
recalled his army from Ethiopia.
After the
Derg collapse, many Somalis returned to Ethiopia in May 1991 after they evacuated in 1960s. Some of these were senior military leaders and political entrepreneurs to form the
(EPRDF). In 1994,
new constitution was drafted marked with the creation of Somali Region drawn to other regions.
Demographics
In Ethiopia, Somalis estimated around 7,650,000 and 99.86% population are
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, while 0.14% are Christian, only 0.03% follow
Evangelical Protestant
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...
. According to 2008 census based on
Central Statistical Authority, Somali was the third largest ethnic group in Ethiopia with 4,560,000 population, accounting 6.2% after
Oromo (34.4%),
Amhara (27%).
Based on the 1994 census projection for the 2008, at least 4.5 million Somali live 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
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 ...
.
In 2009, Ethiopia has an estimated 135,000 asylum seekers and refugees, mostly from
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
(64,000).
Sources
Somali Region in Ethiopia: Historical Developments during the Period 1884-1995
References
{{Somali diaspora
Ethnic groups in Ethiopia
Ethnic Somali people
Somali Region