Gambela Region
Encyclopedia
Gambela is one of the nine ethnic divisions
(kililoch) of Ethiopia
. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro
and Akobo River
s, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient.
Located in Gambela is Gambela National Park
, which covers approximately 5061 square kilometers or 19.6% of the Region's territory.
of Ethiopia (CSA), the Gambela Region has total population of 306,916, consisting of 159,679 men and 147,237 women; urban inhabitants number 77,878 or 25.37% of the population. With an estimated area of 25,802.01 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 9.57 people per square kilometer. For the entire Region 65,445 households were counted, which results in an average for the Region of 4.6 persons to a household, with urban households having on average 3.9 and rural households 5.0 people. The main ethnicities of the region are the Nuer (46.65%), the Anuak (21.17%), Amhara
(8.42%), Kafficho (5%), Oromo
(4.83%), Kambaata
(1.44%), Mezhenger (4%), Shakacho (2.27%), Tigrean
(1.32%) and other ethnic groups predominantly from southern Ethiopia 4.9%. 70% of the region's population are Protestant
, 16.8% Orthodox Christian, 3.8% practice traditional religions
, 4.9% Muslim
, 3.4% Catholic
, and others constitute 1.1% Gambela is the historic home of the indigenous Anuak. In recent years there has been significant violence between the Anuak and more recently arrived Ethiopians, who are generally referred to as "Highlanders".
The 1994 national census reported the regions population to be 181,862 in 35,940 households, of whom 92,902 were men and 88,960 women; 27,424 or 15.08% of the population were urban inhabitants. (This total also includes an estimate for all 19 kebele
s of one woreda and 6 kebeles in two other woredas, which were not counted; these areas were estimated to have 19,465 inhabitants, of whom 9,203 were men and 10,262 women.) The six largest ethnic groups of the region were the Nuer (39.7%), the Anuak (27.45%), Amhara (7.74%), Oromo (6.49%), Mezhenger (5.76%), and Kafficho (4.18%); all other ethnic groups made up 8.68% of the population. Nuer
is spoken as a first language by 39.72%, 27.47% speak Anuak
, 8.44% Amharic
, 6.45% Oromiffa
, and 5.75% speak Majang
; the remaining 12.17% spoke all other primary languages reported. A plurality of the inhabitants said they were Protestant, with 44.01% of the population reporting answers in that category, while 24.13% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 10.28% practiced traditional religions, 5.15% were Muslim, and 3.21% were Catholic.
Values for reported common indicators of the standard of living
for Gambela include the following: 44% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 57.5% and for women 22.8%; and the Regional infant mortality rate is 92 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is greater than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants’ first month of life.
observed that at the time Trypanosomiasis
was a major problem in cattle for this Region. There was an epidemic of this disease in the area during 1970.
Gambela is believed to have major oil resources. In June 2003, the Ethiopian government signed an agreement with Petronas
of Malaysia for the joint exploration and development of oil resources in Gambella region. Petronas then awarded a contract for seismic data acquisition
to China’s Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB) October of that year.
The Water and Mines Resources Development Bureau of Gambela announced January 2007 that it was initiating a program that would drill 13 new manually-operated wells, 54 new deep water wells, and develop four springs. This would provide access to drinking water
for 26,000 inhabitants, increasing coverage for the state to 42 percent from the existing 27 percent, at a cost of 6 million Birr
. Construction of an asphalt road 102 kilometers in length and connecting Gambela City with Jikawo
by way of Itang
was begun in 2008 with a budget over 446 million Birr.
(This list is based on information from Worldstatesmen.org.)
s as other Regions in Ethiopia are, this region has seen the most changes in these subdivisions of any region, to the point they can confuse anyone tracing their development.
Originally, Gambela was subdivided into four administrative zones and one special woreda
(an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area
and is not part of a zone) as follows, although these zones were not been given proper names.
By 2001, when the CSA released its Sample Agricultural Enumeration, these four zones had been combined into two, and Godere had been merged into the second administrative zone. By the 2007 census, Gambela had been redivided into three zones (named for the three largest ethnic groups), and Itang
had been made a special woreda; borders of the existing woredas were moved around to create several new ones. These zones are:
Regions of Ethiopia
||Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions and two chartered cities...
(kililoch) of Ethiopia
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...
. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro
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 Akobo River
Akobo River
The Akobo River is a river on the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands near Mizan Teferi is flows west for to join the Pibor River...
s, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient.
Located in Gambela is 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...
, which covers approximately 5061 square kilometers or 19.6% of the Region's territory.
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 (CSA), the Gambela Region has total population of 306,916, consisting of 159,679 men and 147,237 women; urban inhabitants number 77,878 or 25.37% of the population. With an estimated area of 25,802.01 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 9.57 people per square kilometer. For the entire Region 65,445 households were counted, which results in an average for the Region of 4.6 persons to a household, with urban households having on average 3.9 and rural households 5.0 people. The main ethnicities of the region are the Nuer (46.65%), the Anuak (21.17%), 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...
(8.42%), Kafficho (5%), 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...
(4.83%), Kambaata
Kambaata
Kambaata is the name of the people who speak the Kambaata language. It was a province of Ethiopia beginning in the early 15th century and ending in the mid-17th century before Ethiopian rule was once again established under Emperor Menelek II...
(1.44%), Mezhenger (4%), Shakacho (2.27%), Tigrean
Tigray-Tigrinya people
Tigray-Tigrinya are an ethnic group who live in the southern, central and northern parts of Eritrea and the northern highlands of Ethiopia's Tigray province. They also live in Ethiopia's former provinces of Begemder and Wollo, which are today mostly part of Amhara Region, though a few regions...
(1.32%) and other ethnic groups predominantly from southern Ethiopia 4.9%. 70% of the region's population are Protestant
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay or Pentay is a slang term widely used in modern Ethiopia, and among Ethiopians living abroad, to describe Ethiopian Christians who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo, Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso, Roman Catholic or Ethiopian Catholic churches...
, 16.8% Orthodox Christian, 3.8% practice traditional religions
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
, 4.9% Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
, 3.4% Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia
The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.The Ethiopian Catholic Church, the primary organization of Catholicism in the country, is especially close to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose doctrine and...
, and others constitute 1.1% Gambela is the historic home of the indigenous Anuak. In recent years there has been significant violence between the Anuak and more recently arrived Ethiopians, who are generally referred to as "Highlanders".
The 1994 national census reported the regions population to be 181,862 in 35,940 households, of whom 92,902 were men and 88,960 women; 27,424 or 15.08% of the population were urban inhabitants. (This total also includes an estimate for all 19 kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
s of one woreda and 6 kebeles in two other woredas, which were not counted; these areas were estimated to have 19,465 inhabitants, of whom 9,203 were men and 10,262 women.) The six largest ethnic groups of the region were the Nuer (39.7%), the Anuak (27.45%), Amhara (7.74%), Oromo (6.49%), Mezhenger (5.76%), and Kafficho (4.18%); all other ethnic groups made up 8.68% of the population. Nuer
Nuer language
The Nuer language is a Nilo-Saharan language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia. Nuer is one of eastern and central Africa's most widely spoken languages. The Nuer nation is one of the largest in South Sudan.Nuer language has a...
is spoken as a first language by 39.72%, 27.47% speak Anuak
Anuak language
Anuak or Anywa is a Nilotic language of the Nilo-Saharan language family. It is spoken primarily in the Western part of Ethiopia by the Anuak. Other names for this language include: Anyuak, Anywa, Yambo, Jambo, Yembo, Bar, Burjin, Miroy, Moojanga, Nuro.Anywa does not have phonemic fricatives.-...
, 8.44% Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
, 6.45% Oromiffa
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
, and 5.75% speak Majang
Majang language
The Majang language is spoken by the Majangir of Ethiopia. Although it is a member of the Surmic cluster, this language is the most isolated one in that cluster . A language survey has shown that dialect variation from north to south is minor and does not seriously impede communication...
; the remaining 12.17% spoke all other primary languages reported. A plurality of the inhabitants said they were Protestant, with 44.01% of the population reporting answers in that category, while 24.13% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 10.28% practiced traditional religions, 5.15% were Muslim, and 3.21% were Catholic.
Values for reported common indicators of the standard of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...
for Gambela include the following: 44% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 57.5% and for women 22.8%; and the Regional infant mortality rate is 92 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is greater than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants’ first month of life.
Economy
The CSA reported that for 2004-2005 3,734 tons of coffee were produced in Gambela, based on inspection records from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority. This represents 1.64% of the total production in Ethiopia. The CSA could not provide livestock estimates for Gambela. In a 26 May 2000 report, the FAOFão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
observed that at the time Trypanosomiasis
Trypanosomiasis
Trypanosomiasis or trypanosomosis is the name of several diseases in vertebrates caused by parasitic protozoan trypanosomes of the genus Trypanosoma. Approximately 500,000 men, women and children in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa suffer from human African trypanosomiasis which is caused by...
was a major problem in cattle for this Region. There was an epidemic of this disease in the area during 1970.
Gambela is believed to have major oil resources. In June 2003, the Ethiopian government signed an agreement with Petronas
Petronas
PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
of Malaysia for the joint exploration and development of oil resources in Gambella region. Petronas then awarded a contract for seismic data acquisition
Exploration geophysics
Exploration geophysics is the applied branch of geophysics which uses surface methods to measure the physical properties of the subsurface Earth, in order to detect or infer the presence and position of ore minerals, hydrocarbons, geothermal reservoirs, groundwater reservoirs, and other geological...
to China’s Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB) October of that year.
The Water and Mines Resources Development Bureau of Gambela announced January 2007 that it was initiating a program that would drill 13 new manually-operated wells, 54 new deep water wells, and develop four springs. This would provide access to drinking water
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia
Access to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
for 26,000 inhabitants, increasing coverage for the state to 42 percent from the existing 27 percent, at a cost of 6 million Birr
Ethiopian birr
The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
. Construction of an asphalt road 102 kilometers in length and connecting Gambela City with Jikawo
Jikawo
Jikawo is one of the 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Nuer Zone, Jikawo is bordered on the south by the Anuak Zone, on the west by the Alwero River which separates it from Wentawa, on the north by the Baro River which separates it from Sudan, and on the east by Lare...
by way of Itang
Itang
Itang is a town in the Gambela Region in western Ethiopia. Located on the Baro River, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 480 meters above sea level....
was begun in 2008 with a budget over 446 million Birr.
Presidents of the Executive Committee
- Okello Ouman (GPLM) 1992 - 1997
- Okello Gnigelo (GPDF) August 1997 - 2003
- Okello Akway 2003 - 2004
- Keat Tuach Bithow (acting) January 2004 - 2005
- Omod Obong (GPDMGambela People's Democratic MovementThe Gambela Peoples’ Democratic Movement is a political party in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia...
) 29 September 2005–Present
(This list is based on information from Worldstatesmen.org.)
Administrative subdivisions
While Gambela is subdivided into administrative zones and woredaWoreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s as other Regions in Ethiopia are, this region has seen the most changes in these subdivisions of any region, to the point they can confuse anyone tracing their development.
Originally, Gambela was subdivided into four administrative zones and one special woreda
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
(an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area
Autonomous area
An autonomous area or autonomous entity is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the rest of the country or populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often...
and is not part of a zone) as follows, although these zones were not been given proper names.
- Administrative Zone 1Administrative 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...
- Administrative Zone 2Administrative Zone 2 (Gambela)Administrative Zone 2 is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; none of the zones of Gambela have names. This zone is bordered by South Sudan and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the south, Administrative Zone 3 on the west, Administrative Zone 1 on the...
- Administrative Zone 3Administrative Zone 3 (Gambela)Administrative Zone 3 is a former administrative subdivision of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela. This zone was bordered by Sudan on the south, west and north, by Administrative Zone 1 on the east and Administrative Zone 2 on the southeast; the Pibor defines the border on the south and west, while...
- Administrative Zone 4
- Godere special woredaGodere special woredaGodere is one of 12 woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mezhenger Zone, Godere is bordered on the south and east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region , on the west by Mengesh, and on the north by the Oromia Region...
By 2001, when the CSA released its Sample Agricultural Enumeration, these four zones had been combined into two, and Godere had been merged into the second administrative zone. By the 2007 census, Gambela had been redivided into three zones (named for the three largest ethnic groups), and Itang
Itang
Itang is a town in the Gambela Region in western Ethiopia. Located on the Baro River, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 480 meters above sea level....
had been made a special woreda; borders of the existing woredas were moved around to create several new ones. These zones are:
- Anuak Zone
- Mezhenger ZoneMezhenger ZoneThe Mezhenger Zone is one of the three zones of the Ethiopian Region of Gambela; it is named for one of the three largest indigenous groups in Gambela, the Majangir. This zone is bordered on the south and east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region , on the west by the Anuak...
- Nuer Zone
External links
- FDRE States: Basic Information - Gambella
- "Violence in Gambella: An Overview" on the site of OxfamOxfamOxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
America. - "The Current Situation in Gambella", Press Release from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Federal Affairs
- Map of Gambela Region at UN-OCHA
- Map of the Gambela Region at the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) of Ethiopia
Further reading
- Medhane Tadesse, "Gambella: The impact of local conflict on regional security" Institute for Security Studies website
- Human Rights Watch, "Targeting the Anuak: Human Rights Violations and Crimes Against Humanity in Ethiopia's Gambella Region"