Dembel 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 ...

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 stat ...

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 ...

. Part of the

Shinile Zone Sitti Zone ( so, Gobolka Sitti), formerly known as Shinile, is a zone in Somali Region of Ethiopia. Located at the northwestern point of the Somali Region and stretching across the savanna north of the Ahmar Mountains, Sitti is bordered on t ...

, Dembel is bordered on the west by

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 to ...

, on the north by Ayesha, and on the east and south by the Jijiga Zone. Towns in Dembel include

Arabi Arabi may refer to: * Ibn Arabi (1165–1240), early medieval Muslim mystic and philosopher *Arabi (sheep) *Arabi, Iran (disambiguation), villages in Iran *Arabi, Ethiopia *Arabi, Georgia, United States *Ahmed ‘Urabi, a 19th-century Egyptian rebe ...

, Dembel, Samakab, Sandalol, Biyobahay (Biobahie), Dure and Harmukale. Inhabitants of this woreda have engaged in crop farming since 1965; however, there has been a great decline in crop production from 1989 to 2001. That was primarily caused by clan conflicts and aggravated by severe droughts. Between 35-45% of the inhabitants are pastoralists, while 55-65% raise cereals (mostly sorghum) as well as raise livestock.

Demographics

Based on the 2017 Census conducted 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 ...

of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 106,611, of whom 56,531 are men and 50,080 women. While 18,360 are

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

inhabitants, a further 88,251 were

pastoralists Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal s ...

. Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the

of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 82,286, of whom 45,094 are men and 37,192 women. While 13,648 or 16.59% are urban inhabitants, a further 17,950 or 21.81% are pastoralists. 99.3% of the population said they were Muslim. This woreda is primarily inhabited by the Gadabuursi sub-clan of the Dir clan family. The Research-inspired Policy and Practice Learning in Ethiopia and the Nile region (2010) states that the Dembel district is predominantly Gadabuursi:

"Mainly Somali Gurgura, Gadabursi and Hawiye groups, who inhabit Erer, Dambal and Meiso districts respectively."

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 72,168, of whom 37,814 were men and 34,354 were women; 9,756 or 13.52% were urban inhabitants. The largest ethnic group reported in Dembel was the

Somali people 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 mo ...

(99.96%).''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Somali Region'', Vol. 1
, Tables 2.1, 2.7, 2.12,

Notes

{{Districts of the Somali Region Districts of Somali Region