Welwel (, also transliterated Walwaal; ), is a town in eastern Ethiopia known as the

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 ...

. Located in the Werder Zone of the Somali Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of with an elevation of 570 meters above sea level. Welwel has an estimated population of 842 according to the 2007 census. From 1903 Welwel, together with Werder & Qorrahee, became Dervish centers headed by Sayid Khalif Abdullah Hassan, brother of the Sayid Mohammed. The town & its surrounding region was kept under Dervish rule through a series of forts erected there. The control of this region allowed the Dervish to count, even in the most critical moments, on a source of animal supply, also collected in the form of a tribute, taking it away from the traditional authorities. Furthermore, strategically, this region ensured a territorial link between the high Hiiraan, where the Bahgeri operated, and the

Hawd Region Hawd Region is a region of Somalia. The Hawd Region was created by Dahir Riyale Kahin on May 15, 2008. It sits at a DMS latitude of 8° 0 min 0 sec and a DMS longitude of 46° 30 min 0 sec. Its capital is the town of Baligubadle. Hawd is home to ...

and the Mudug which was in the hands of Daraawiish almost continuously between 1902 and 191

Welwel was the

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

in Ethiopia where a border clash occurred in 1934 between the Kingdom of Italy and Ethiopian Empire.

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 ...

used this incident as a pretext to invade Ethiopia, which led to the

Second Italo-Abyssinian 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 ...

. Records at the Nordic Africa Institute website provide details of a test oil well drilled at Welwel by

Sinclair Oil Sinclair Oil Corporation was an American petroleum corporation, founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916, the Sinclair Oil and Refining Corporation combined, amalgamated, the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corp ...

in 1955, and about Fitawrari Wolde Amanuel primary school in Welwel during the year 1968."Local History in Ethiopia"
(pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 14 August 2008)

References

External links

Somali Region Oases of Ethiopia Diplomatic incidents Second Italo-Ethiopian War {{Ethiopia-hist-stub