Walwal (; ; ; also transliterated as Welwel or Walwaal) is a town in eastern
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
known as the
Ogaden
Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; , ) is one of the historical names used for the modern Somali Region. It is also natively referred to as Soomaali Galbeed (). The region forms the eastern portion of Ethiopia and borders Somalia ...
. Located in the
Werder Zone
Dollo () 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, and on the southeas ...
of the
Somali Region
The Somali Region (, , ), also known as Soomaali Galbeed () and officially the Somali Regional State, is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in eastern Ethiopia. It is the largest region of Ethiopia. The state borders the Ethiopian regions ...
, this town has a longitude and latitude of with an elevation of 570 meters above sea level. Walwal has an estimated population of 842 according to the 2007 census.
From 1903 Walwal, together with Werder and Qorrahee, became
Dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persi ...
centers headed by Sayid Khalif Abdullah Hassan, brother of the Sayid Mohammed. The town and 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 and the
Mudug
Mudug () is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north-central Somalia. The population of Mudug is 131,455 as of 2005.
Overview
Physiographically, Mudug is bordered to the west by Ethiopia, to the north and south by the Somali regions of Nu ...
which was in the hands of Daraawiish almost continuously between 1902 and 191
Walwal was the
oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentborder clash occurred in 1934 between the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
and
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire, historically known as Abyssinia or simply Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day territories of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It existed from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak a ...
.
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
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 waged by Italy against Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Ita ...
.
Records at the Nordic Africa Institute website provide details of a test oil well drilled at Walwal 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 amalgamated the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corporation, Sin ...
in 1955, and about Fitawrari Wolde Amanuel primary school in Walwal during the year 1968."Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 14 August 2008)