Gambela, Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
Gambela is a city in Ethiopia
and the capital of the Gambela Region
or kilil. Located in Administrative Zone 1
, at the confluence of the Baro River
and its tributary the Jajjaba, the city has a latitude and longitude of 8°15′N 34°35′E and an elevation of 526 meters.
Gambela is important because bridges over both the Baro and the Jajjaba are located in that city. The Anuak and Nuer inhabitants of Gambela each have their own market
. The town also boasts an airport
(ICAO code HAGM, IATA GMB) and is near the Gambela National Park
.
, which was seen by both the British
and Ethiopia as an excellent highway for exporting coffee
and other goods from the fertile Ethiopian Highlands
to Sudan
and Egypt
. Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia granted Britain use of a port along the Baro May 15, 1902, and in 1907 the port and a customs station were founded at Gambela. A shipping service run by Sudanese Railways Corporation linked Khartoum
with Gambela, a distance of 1,366 kilometers. According to Richard Pankhurst
, by the mid-1930s boats sailed twice a month during the rainy season, taking seven days downstream and eleven upstream.
According to Bahru Zewde, British interest in the concession was due, in part, to the attraction of "tapping the allegedly fabulous commercial potential of Western Ethiopia and drawing the whole region into the economic orbit of the Sudan", but also intended "to be a brilliant British countermove to avert the virtual commercial hegemony in Ethiopia that the Jibouti-Addis Ababa Railway
seemed to promise the French." Although over 70% of Ethiopia's external trade passed through the port at Djibouti
between 1911 and 1917, the share of goods passing through Gambela had the fastest rate of growth until the Italian conquest
. And the British had to further cope with the Ethiopian governors of Sayo
and Gore
, who showed a vicious interest in the money to be made in the cross-border trade.
The Regent Ras Tafari (the later Emperor Haile Selassie), beginning on 9 July 1927, granted a number of concessions to T. Zervos and A. Danalis to construct a road 180 kilometers in length to connect Gambela with the towns of Metu
and Gore.
Gambela became part of Italian East Africa
in 1936, and the shipping service suspended when the steamer, and the British resident, left Gambela on 14 October. During their occupation, the Italians built a road from Gambela to Nekemte
between 1936 and 1940. Gambela was taken from the Italians by the 2/6 King's African Rifles
on 3 February 1941.
Lij Tewodros, a son of Lij Iyasu
, surfaced in the Gambela area in May 1941 proclaiming himself Emperor. His insurrection was put down by Belgian Congo troops before they left the area in February 1942.
A new Anglo-Ethiopian treaty was signed on 19 December 1944 which virtually eliminated British privileges, but the Gambela enclave continued. The Ethiopian government gradually increased its control over the enclave: outlawing the Maria Theresa Thaler
as legal tender, requiring all merchants to obtain passports in person in Addis Ababa
, and in 1951 informing the British resident, Captain Dribble, that he could no longer judge or imprison anyone. When he departed 30 October 1954, the end of the enclave was in sight. The enclave was still held by the Sudanese when they achieved independence, but they did not agree to hand the enclave back to Ethiopia until 15 October 1956. The port was closed during the Derg
era, and it remains closed due to tension between the Sudan People's Liberation Army
and the Ethiopian government, though there are hopes to reopen the port.
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
announced on 27 May 1991 that they had gained control of Gambela.
On 13 December 2003, in an apparent reprisal for a series of ambushes of highlander civilians, 30 Ethiopian soldiers and highlander civilians launched a brutal attack on Gambela's Anuak population. Human Rights Watch
has estimated that 424 people were killed. An armed Anuak group (which John Young speculates is the Gambela People's Liberation Movement/F) attacked a prison in the capital 30 October 2005, freeing inmates, and killing the police commissioner.
of Ethiopia, Gambela has a total population of 39,022, an increase of 113.67% over the 1994 census, of whom 20,790 are men and 18,232 women. A total of 10,152 households were counted in this town, which results in an average of 3.8 persons to a household, and 9,595 housing units. According to the 1994 national census, its total population was 18,263 of whom 9852 were males and 8411 were females. The ethnic breakdown was 33.8% Anuak, 26.1% Oromo
, 14% Amhara
, 10.4% Nuer, 6.5% Tigray, 4.3% Kambaata, and 4.9% all others.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and the capital of the Gambela Region
Gambela Region
Gambela is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro and Akobo Rivers, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient....
or kilil. Located in Administrative Zone 1
Administrative Zone 1 (Gambela)
Administrative Zone 1 is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; none of the zones of Gambela have names. This zone is bordered on the south by Administrative Zone 2, on the west by Administrative Zone 3 and on the north and east by the Oromia Region...
, at the confluence of the Baro River
Baro River
The Baro River is a river in southwestern Ethiopia, which defines part of Ethiopia's border with South Sudan. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands it flows west for to join the Pibor River...
and its tributary the Jajjaba, the city has a latitude and longitude of 8°15′N 34°35′E and an elevation of 526 meters.
Gambela is important because bridges over both the Baro and the Jajjaba are located in that city. The Anuak and Nuer inhabitants of Gambela each have their own market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
. The town also boasts an airport
Gambela Airport
Gambela Airport is an airport in Gambela, Ethiopia . Located at an elevation of 540 meters above sea level, this airport has one concrete runway 2514 meters long by 45 wide. The airport is near Gambela National Park.-Scheduled services:-External links:*...
(ICAO code HAGM, IATA GMB) and is near the Gambela National Park
Gambela National Park
Gambela National Park is a proposed National Park, but the steps needed to fully protect it by the government of Ethiopia have not been completed as of 2002...
.
History
Gambela was founded because of its location on the Baro, a tributary of the NileNile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
, which was seen by both the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ethiopia as an excellent highway for exporting coffee
Coffee production in Ethiopia
The coffee production in Ethiopia is critical to the Ethiopian economy with about 25% of the population depending directly or indirectly on coffee for its livelihood...
and other goods from the fertile Ethiopian Highlands
Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea , and northern Somalia in the Horn of Africa...
to Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia granted Britain use of a port along the Baro May 15, 1902, and in 1907 the port and a customs station were founded at Gambela. A shipping service run by Sudanese Railways Corporation linked Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
with Gambela, a distance of 1,366 kilometers. According to Richard Pankhurst
Richard Pankhurst (academic)
Richard Keir Pethick Pankhurst OBE is a British academic with expertise in the study of Ethiopia.-Early life and education:...
, by the mid-1930s boats sailed twice a month during the rainy season, taking seven days downstream and eleven upstream.
According to Bahru Zewde, British interest in the concession was due, in part, to the attraction of "tapping the allegedly fabulous commercial potential of Western Ethiopia and drawing the whole region into the economic orbit of the Sudan", but also intended "to be a brilliant British countermove to avert the virtual commercial hegemony in Ethiopia that the Jibouti-Addis Ababa Railway
Imperial Railway Company of Ethiopia
Rail transport in Ethiopia currently consists only of a line from Djibouti to Dire Dawa. The line continues from Dire Dawa to Addis Ababa, but is no longer operational...
seemed to promise the French." Although over 70% of Ethiopia's external trade passed through the port at Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
between 1911 and 1917, the share of goods passing through Gambela had the fastest rate of growth until the Italian conquest
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
. And the British had to further cope with the Ethiopian governors of Sayo
Dembidolo
Dembidolo is a market town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Mirab Welega Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 1701 and 1827 meters above sea level....
and Gore
Gore, Ethiopia
Gore is a town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located south of Metu in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2085 meters....
, who showed a vicious interest in the money to be made in the cross-border trade.
The Regent Ras Tafari (the later Emperor Haile Selassie), beginning on 9 July 1927, granted a number of concessions to T. Zervos and A. Danalis to construct a road 180 kilometers in length to connect Gambela with the towns of Metu
Metu
Metu is a market town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region along the Sor River, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an altitude of 1605 meters...
and Gore.
Gambela became part of Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
in 1936, and the shipping service suspended when the steamer, and the British resident, left Gambela on 14 October. During their occupation, the Italians built a road from Gambela to Nekemte
Nekemte
Nekemte is a market town in western Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq Welega Zone of the Oromia Region , Nekemte has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,088 meters....
between 1936 and 1940. Gambela was taken from the Italians by the 2/6 King's African Rifles
King's African Rifles
The King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
on 3 February 1941.
Lij Tewodros, a son of Lij Iyasu
Iyasu V of Ethiopia
Iyasu V , also known as Lij Iyasu was the designated but uncrowned Emperor of Ethiopia . His baptismal name was Kifle Yaqob...
, surfaced in the Gambela area in May 1941 proclaiming himself Emperor. His insurrection was put down by Belgian Congo troops before they left the area in February 1942.
A new Anglo-Ethiopian treaty was signed on 19 December 1944 which virtually eliminated British privileges, but the Gambela enclave continued. The Ethiopian government gradually increased its control over the enclave: outlawing the Maria Theresa Thaler
Maria Theresa thaler
The Maria Theresa thaler is a silver bullion-coin that has been used in world trade continuously. Maria Theresa Thalers were first minted in 1741, using the then Reichsthaler standard of 9 thalers to the Vienna mark. In 1750 the thaler was debased to 10 thalers to the Vienna Mark...
as legal tender, requiring all merchants to obtain passports in person in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, and in 1951 informing the British resident, Captain Dribble, that he could no longer judge or imprison anyone. When he departed 30 October 1954, the end of the enclave was in sight. The enclave was still held by the Sudanese when they achieved independence, but they did not agree to hand the enclave back to Ethiopia until 15 October 1956. The port was closed during the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
era, and it remains closed due to tension between the Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
and the Ethiopian government, though there are hopes to reopen the port.
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization , the Amhara National Democratic Movement , the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's...
announced on 27 May 1991 that they had gained control of Gambela.
On 13 December 2003, in an apparent reprisal for a series of ambushes of highlander civilians, 30 Ethiopian soldiers and highlander civilians launched a brutal attack on Gambela's Anuak population. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
has estimated that 424 people were killed. An armed Anuak group (which John Young speculates is the Gambela People's Liberation Movement/F) attacked a prison in the capital 30 October 2005, freeing inmates, and killing the police commissioner.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
of Ethiopia, Gambela has a total population of 39,022, an increase of 113.67% over the 1994 census, of whom 20,790 are men and 18,232 women. A total of 10,152 households were counted in this town, which results in an average of 3.8 persons to a household, and 9,595 housing units. According to the 1994 national census, its total population was 18,263 of whom 9852 were males and 8411 were females. The ethnic breakdown was 33.8% Anuak, 26.1% Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
, 14% Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
, 10.4% Nuer, 6.5% Tigray, 4.3% Kambaata, and 4.9% all others.