Jijiga Laaca | |
|---|---|
  .JPG)   From left: Dusk view of Jijiga; Outskirt of Jijiga; Metropolis of Jijiga; Jigjiga's camel transportation; Sayyid Mohammed Statue | |
  Jijiga Location within Ethiopia Show map of Ethiopia.svg) Jijiga Location within the Horn of Africa Show map of Horn of Africa Jijiga Location within Africa Show map of Africa | |
| Coordinates:9°21′N42°48′E / 9.350°N 42.800°E /9.350; 42.800 | |
| Country |  Ethiopia |
| Region |  Somali |
| Zone | Fafan |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | AbdiHakiim HadiS Dahir |
| Elevation | 1,634 m (5,361 ft) |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
• Total | 203,588 |
• Estimate (2021) | 483,000 |
| • Density | 1,456/km2 (3,770/sq mi) |
| estimated | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Jijiga (Somali:Jigjiga,Amharic:ጅጅጋ,Jijiga) is the capital city ofSomali Region,Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved fromGode. Located in theFafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border withSomaliland,[2][3] the city has an elevation of 1,634 metres above sea level.[4] Jigjiga is traditionally the seat of the Bartire Garad Wiil-Waal of theJidwaaqAbsame.[5][6][7][8] TheInternational airport is named after him.
The nameJigjiga is said to come from the onomatopoeic wordjig-jig, representing the rumbling sounds made by an earthquake, or the noise from water wells on the outskirts of the city.[9] Jigjiga is an example of many onomatopoeic words in Somali.[9]
The region around Jijiga is believed to be associated with the medievalGidaya state which existed as early as thirteenth century.[10] One of the earliest references to Jijiga comes from W.C. Barker in 1842 who mentions it as one of themahalla or halting-places of the caravan route betweenZeila andHarar within the Somali inhabitedOgaden (present daySomali Region).[11] Jijiga was later mentioned by British travelerRichard Francis Burton in 1854, who reports that it was a centre of wells for pastoralists of the local Somali (Jidwaq) clan on the caravan route toBerbera.[12] During the pre-colonial era the Ogaden was neither under Ethiopian rule, norterra nullius, as it was occupied by organized Somali communities.[13] Independent historical accounts are unanimous that previous to the penetration into the region in the late 1880s,Somali clans were free of residing in the Ogaden were free of the control of theEthiopian Empire.[14]
In 1887, the Ethiopian Empire underMenelik II invaded and conquered the ancient city ofHarar and soon after announced a programme of ambitious expansion and colonialism to the European powers. This marked the start of a tentative yet violent invasion into theOgaden region.[15] During the Abyssinian invasion of Harar, much of the population and the cities Islamic scholars were massacred. As a consequence of this some scholars moved to the town of Jigjiga, and from a Somali perspective Jigjiga then replaced Harar as a center for Islamic learning.[16] As EmperorMenelik II continued his campaign of indiscriminate raiding and attacks against the Somalis of the Ogaden region between 1890 and 1899, Somali clans residing in the plains of Jigjiga were in particular targeted. The escalating frequency and violence of the raids resulted in Somalis consolidating behind theDervish movement under the lead of SayyidMohamed Abdullah Hassan.[17]
As the Ethiopian Empire began expanding into Somali territories at the start of the 1890s, the town of Jigjiga came under intermittentmilitary occupation until 1900.[18] An imperial garrison was established at Jijiga in 1891, which later became a base for Ethiopian military campaigns into the Somali-inhabited lowlands. British hunter Colonel Swayne, who passed through Jijiga in February 1893, where he described seeing stockaded fort with a garrison.[19][20] During 1895, it was observed that the fort set up in the town was often abandoned by the Abyssinians, who usually occupied it to carry out raids on the Somalis of the Ogaden.[21]Abdullah Tahir was appointed governor of Jigjiga in 1896, this would be the emergence of Jigjiga's urban development.[22][23] In this period Abyssinian settlers began arriving in the town from nearby garrisons.[20]
During early 1900, Abyssinian troops began a permanent occupation of the town with the construction of a military fort in the outskirts.[18] Subsequently, the anti-colonialDervish Movement led by SayidMohamed Abdullah Hassan had its first major battle when itattacked the Ethiopian forces occupying Jigjiga several to free livestock that had been looted from the local population during Abyssinian raids.[24] SayidMohameds Dervish attack greatly shook the Ethiopians, and resulted in them coordinating large scale joint military operations with theBritish Empire against the Somalis fighters.[25] Governor Tahir set up a native security forces to protect the town which consisted mainly ofSomalis andHarari people as theDervish fighters had begun its activities in the region.[26] The Ethiopian control in the Ogaden at the start of the 20th century was tenuous as administrators and military personnel only resided in Jijiga andHarar.[15]
After reportedly adopting the Islamic faith, uncrowned EmperorLij Iyasu had a close relationship with the Muslim Somalis. In Jigjiga he built severalmosques and sent military aid to the SomaliDervish movement.[27] During the summer of 1916,[28] Lysau travelled to Jigjiga to organize an army of Somali fighters to follow him in ajihad against the Christians. When he left for Jigjiga, theShewan imperial elite revolted against him.[28] After Lij Lyasu's overthrowal and the subsequent tensions in the town, the Somali population abandoned Jigjiga, leaving behind only Amhara settlers, who were mostly soldiers.[20] Due to widespread Somali hostility in the Ogaden, the town marked the effective boundary of imperial presence in the region.[29] Succeeding governors such asTekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam, had the town methodically organized in a square grid of streets, built a fort, dug several wells, encouraged agriculture, and set a fixed land tax. Actions whichRichard Pankhurst claims won the hearts of the Ogaden Somalis.[30] During the 1920s and 1930s, Somalis began returning to the town.[20]
During theSecond Italo-Ethiopian War, Jijiga served for some time asDejazmachNasibu Emmanual's headquarters and a supply center for the Ethiopian army. An Italian force under Colonel Navarra occupied the city on the evening of 5 May 1936.[31] Two days later, while inspecting a ruined Ethiopian Orthodox church in the city, MarshalRodolfo Graziani fell into a concealed hole, which he was afterwards convinced was a mantrap; Anthony Mockler suggests this mishap contributed to his murderously paranoid mindset which led tothe atrocities that followed the attempt on Graziani's life 19 February 1937.[32] During Italian rule of the city, mosques were built by the new rulers[33] Under the rule of the Ethiopian Empire, the construction of mosques had been stifled. Under Italian rule, Islam was given official recognition by the new ruling administration and mosques were constructed in Jigjiga. Arabic was also introduced in the schools set up forItalian East Africa's Muslim subjects.[33]
On 17 March 1941, during theEast African Campaign ofWorld War II, Jijiga was occupied by the23rd Nigerian Brigade of the British1st African Division. This was after the Italian garrison had already abandoned the city.[34] In 1948, theBritish Military Administration, which had been in control of the Ogaden since WWII, commenced a withdrawal. This transition saw the replacement of British officials with Ethiopian counterparts between May and July of that year in a significant handover process.[35] In the town of Jijiga, incoming Ethiopian authorities instructed theSomali Youth League (SYL) to remove their flag, as they had declared both the party and its emblem as unlawful. The SYL defied this directive, leading to the flag being machine-gunned by an armored vehicle. This event escalated following the killing of a police officer after a grenade was thrown of the roof of the SYL headquarters. The police responded by firing into a crowd of protesters killing 25. Following this incident, Ethiopian administration resumed in Jijiga for the first time in 13 years. Then, on 23 September 1948, following the withdrawal of British forces and the appointment of Ethiopian district commissioners, areas east of Jijiga were placed under Ethiopian governance for the first time in history.[35]
Germame Neway, one of the leaders of the unsuccessful1960 coup, served as governor over Jijiga in 1959. He had been transferred there for his civic responsibility and concern for the underprivileged while administering a district inSidamo Province. The obstruction he encountered, not only in Sidamo but in Jijiga, convinced him of the need for radical measures.[36] In the early stage of theEthiopian Revolution individual units from theThird Division put the local governor under house arrest around 13 April 1974.[31] During theOgaden War, Jijiga experienced theBattle of Jijiga and was occupied by theWestern Somali Liberation Front'sAhmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi division led by Col. Yusuf Dheere, later with theSomali National Army, from September 1977 until February/March 1978.
The Regional government held a conference in this city to promote peace and development between 10 and 13 March 1996, which was attended by 535 from the local woredas, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Ethiopia,Tamirat Layne, the Foreign Minister,Seyoum Mesfin, the presidents of theTigray andHarari Regional states and representatives fromAmhara and theSouthern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Regions.[37] On 28 May 2007, during the celebration ofGinbot 20 (celebrating the downfall of theDerg), Jijiga and Degehabur were the scenes of attacks on civilians and government officials. At least 16 people were killed and 67 injured, includingAbdulahi Hassan Mohammed, president of the Somali Region, who was speaking at the ceremony. The Ethiopian government blamed the attack on theOgaden National Liberation Front.[38]
On 29 May 2008, following a heavy downpour theJijiga River broke its banks and flooded severalkebeles in the town and the vicinity. The flooding killed 29 people and displaced 350 households.[39] On 27 September of that year, a bomb exploded outside a hotel in Jijiga killing four and wounding 20.Local police apprehended a suspect whom they claimed was a member ofAl-Itihaad al-Islamiya.[40]
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by theCentral Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), Jijiga had a total population of 203,588 of whom 109,138 were men and 94,450 women. Ethnic groups in the city include theSomali (168,551, 82.79%),Amhara (16,837, 8.27%),Oromo (8,775, 4.31%), andGurage (4,379, 2.15%); all other groups made up 2.48% of the total population.[42] Members of Somali clans in this city include theJidwaaq,Akisho,Ogaden,Gadabuursi andGeri Koombe, and theSa'ad Musa subclan of theHabr Awal, with a minor presence of some other clans like theSheekhaal.[43]
The results of the 1994 census in theSomali Region were not satisfactory, so the census was repeated in 1997. This census reported this town had a total population of 65,795 of whom 33,266 were male and 32,529 female. The predominant religion in this city Jijiga isMuslim. As of 1997, the ethnic composition of the town was 61.58%Somali, 23.25%Amhara, 7.32%Oromo and 4.37%Gurage, and 1.48%Tigrayan; all other ethnic groups made up 1.99% of the population.[44] This city is the largest in the whole Somali region.[45]
Theclimate of Jijiga is asubtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification:Cwb). extremely wet and lush during rainy season, as with the rest of the Ethiopian highlands, Seasonal differences relate only to rainfall, as temperatures year-round are cool to mild in the mornings and uniformly very warm though not hot during the afternoons.
There are two rainy seasons: the mainmeher rains occur from July to September, and the shortbelg rains in April and June. The dry season, known asbega, is cooler by morning than the wet seasons due to lower cloud cover, but equally hot by afternoon though less humid.
| Climate data for Jijiga, elevation 1,644 m (5,394 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.6 (81.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 29.5 (85.1) | 28.5 (83.3) | 28.8 (83.8) | 27.9 (82.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 28.0 (82.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 13.7 (56.7) | 14.5 (58.1) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 15.7 (60.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.7 (47.7) | 8.0 (46.4) | 12.4 (54.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 12.4 (0.49) | 21.5 (0.85) | 50.1 (1.97) | 106.3 (4.19) | 77.7 (3.06) | 32.9 (1.30) | 60.2 (2.37) | 85.5 (3.37) | 88.0 (3.46) | 39.4 (1.55) | 18.1 (0.71) | 10.1 (0.40) | 602.2 (23.72) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 49 | 47 | 52 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 58 | 50 | 50 | 57 |
| Source 1: Ethiopian Meteorological Institute[46] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: FAO (humidity)[47] | |||||||||||||
The vegetation is a grassland from the east and south of the city towards wajaale, with Pockets of juipars and gum forest in higher altitudes in the northern and western part of the city, there is extensive history of animal life in the past. For example, the area was earlier a habitat for theAfrican wild dog,Lycaon pictus,[48] although this canid is likelyextirpated at present in the local area, due to anexpanding human population.
In his memoirs of his homeland,Nega Mezlekia describes Jijiga as sitting "on the edge of a vast, unmitigated valley on the bottom of Mount Kramanda the beginning of the mighty Ethiopian highlands, with vast lush greenery in sight, rolling hills and plains dotted with many farms in all directions the soaring Eastern Ethiopian Highlands slowly climbing west, the very common tall grassland tree used as shelter by the wanderinghyena, and the inevitable sacred tree in every compound, trees in this area of the Somali region reach great heights with the help of generous rainfall year-round, the native Somalis in the area would use this area as a dry season grazing land for all the noble tribes of the land. The city is surrounded by rocky tall green mountains on all sides save the north all the way past nearby Harar all the way to Addis, which is open as far as the eye can see."[49]
Numerous locations in proximity to Jijiga possess tourism potential, including a cave that was historically utilized by GaradWiil Waal and a mosque that originates from 1315 during theHarla Kingdom. The area around Jijiga also features scenic views counting the Hamran Mountain inAwbare district.[50]
It appears that for years past the Abyssinians have pressed forward from their own country beyond Gildessa and Harar, and have established a fort at Jig-Jiga, which they sometimes garrison and whence they raid the neighbourhood, but which at other times they abandon. They have firearms, whilst the Somalis are, under our rule, not permitted to import them, so that the conflict is unequal and the Abyssinians are detested.
In 1900 his daring attack on the new Ethiopian fort at Jijiga greatly shook the Ethiopians. Large scale Anglo-Ethiopian operations in 1901 against the dervish followers of the Poor Man of God accomplished little.
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{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Tables 2.4, 2.14 (accessed 10 January 2009).
| Afder Zone | |
|---|---|
| Dhawa Zone | |
| Dollo Zone | |
| Erer Zone | |
| Fafan Zone | |
| Jarar Zone | |
| Korahe Zone | |
| Liben Zone | |
| Nogob Zone | |
| Shabelle Zone | |
| Sitti Zone | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
