Somali Region | |
|---|---|
.svg) Flag  Seal | |
 Map ofEthiopia showing Somali Region | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Capital | Jijiga |
| Government | |
| • Chief Administrator | Mustafe Mohammed Omer |
| Area | |
• Total | 279,252[1] km2 (107,820 sq mi) |
| • Land | 279,252 km2 (107,820 sq mi) |
| • Water | 9,842 km2 (3,800 sq mi) 3% |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 6,957,000[2] |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| • Density | 35.81/km2 (92.7/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Somali |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Area code | +251 |
| ISO 3166 code | ET-SO |
| HDI (2019) | 0.433[3] low ·11th of 11 |
TheSomali Region (Somali:Dawlad Deegaanka Soomaalida,Amharic:ሱማሌ ክልል,romanized: Sumalē Kilil,Arabic:المنطقة الصومالية), also known asSoomaali Galbeed (lit. 'Western Somalia')[4] and officially theSomali Regional State, is aregional state in easternEthiopia. It is the second largest region of Ethiopia in terms of area.[5] The state borders the Ethiopian regions ofAfar andOromia to the west, as well asDjibouti to the north,Somaliland to the northeast,Somalia to the east and south; andKenya to the southwest.[6]Jijiga is the capital of the state.[7]
The Somali regional government is composed of the executive branch, led by the President; the legislative branch, which comprises the State Council; and the judicial branch, which is led by the State Supreme Court.
What is now the Somali Region was part of theconquests of Menelik II in the late 19th century.
The Somali Region formed a large part of the pre-1995 provinces ofHararghe,Bale andSidamo. The population is predominantlySomali, and there have been attempts to incorporate the area into aGreater Somalia. In the 1977, Somalia invaded Ethiopia, igniting theOgaden War, which Somalia lost due to timely military intervention from theSoviet Union and its allyCuba. Despite this defeat, local groups still tried either to become part of Somalia or independent.[citation needed][8]
The 2007Abole oil field raid, in which 72 Chinese and Ethiopian oilfield workers were killed, has led to aseries of military reprisals against the rebel group ONLFOgaden National Liberation Front.[citation needed]
Until its first-ever district elections in February 2004, Zonal andworeda administrators and village chairmen were appointed by the Regional government. Senior politicians at the Regional level nominated their clients to the local government positions. In the 2004 local elections, each woreda elected a council including a spokesman, vice-spokesman, administrator, and vice-administrator. These councils have the responsibility of managing budgets and development activities within their respective districts.[9]
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by theCentral Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), the Somali Region has a total population of 4,439,147, consisting of 2,468,784 men and 1,970,363 women; urban residents numbered 621,210 or 14% of the population, while rural residents numbered 3,817,937.[10] With an estimated area of 327,068 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 20.9 people per square kilometer. For the entire region 1, 685,986 households were counted, which results in an average for the Region of 6.8 persons to a household, with urban households having on average 6 and rural households 6.5 people.
There are 8 refugee camps and 1 transit center, housing 212,967 refugees from Somalia, located in Somali Region.[6]
In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was reported to be 3,383,165, of which Somalis made up 3,236,667. There were 1,846,417 were males and 1,537,748 were females. The urban residents of the Somali Region numbered 492,710 households, with an average of 6.6 persons per household; a high sex ratio of 120 males to 100 females was reported.[11] As of 1997, the ethnic composition of the Region was 99.01%Somali, 0.30%Amhara, 0.5%Oromo; all other ethnic groups made up 0.2% of the population.[12]
According to the CSA, as of 2004[update], 38.98% of the total population had access tosafe drinking water, of whom 21.32% were rural inhabitants and 77.21% were urban.[13] Values for other reported common indicators of thestandard of living for Somali as of 2005[update] include the following: 71.8% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 22% and for women 9.8%; and the Regionalinfant mortality rate is 57 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is less than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants’ first month of life.[14]
| Year | Ethiopia population | Somali Region population | % of Ethiopia | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 73,918,505 | 4,439,147 | 6.0% | [1]Archived 2012-06-04 at theWayback Machine |
| 2012 | 84,320,987 | 5,148,989 | 6.11% | [2] |
| 2013 | 86,613,986 | 5,527,000 | 6.38% | [3] |
| 2023 | 126,526,272 | 6,374,284 | 5.03% | [4] |
The region is home to almost all major Somali clan families with the majority being from the Ogaden tribe ofDarod comprising 65% of the total population.[15] Except forLiben andSitti, the Ogaden clan have a majority presence in all other nine zones.[16] Various subclans of the Darod clan family such asGeri, primarily inhabit the central and eastern parts of the region, with theOgaden andJidwaq inhabiting the interior as well as the major towns ofJijiga,Gode,Kebridehar. TheHarti clans andLeelkase inhabit theDollo zone where they are a majority while theMarehan clan inhabit theShilavo woreda and theLiben zone.[17]
TheAkisho clan,Issa,Gadabuursi andJaarso subclans of theDir primarily inhabit the northernSitti zone,Awbare zone.[17][18][19]
TheHabr Awal,Garhajis,Arap andHabr Je'lo clans of theIsaaq clan family inhabit the northern part of respectively make up inHarshin,Hart Sheik, andWajaale (Ethiopian Side) towns. TheArapGursum woreda inFafan andHarshim andMisrak Gashamo woredas inJarar Zoneinhabit Fafan and also settle and borderKebri Beyah. TheGarhajis andHabr Je'lo make up the majority in theAwaare andMisrak Gashamo woredas inJarar Zone.[17]
Degodia are the majority inLiben Zone and also have a significant presence in neighbouring regions. TheKaranle andSheekhaal clans are present in the western areas bordering theOromia region and theHawadle andHabar Gidir subclans are present in theShabelle zone. The closely relatedSamaale subclan ofGarre are also present in theLiben zone andDawa zone where they make up the majority.[17]
Somali as a primary language is spoken by 95.89% of the inhabitants. All other languages spoken together make up 4.11%.[20][21]
99.74% of the population areMuslim, All other religions together made up 0.26%.[22][23][24]
The CSA of Ethiopia estimated in 2005 that farmers in the Somali Region had a total of 2,459,720 cattle (representing 15.19% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 2,463,000 sheep (27.66%), 3,650,970 goats (60.02%), 1,991,550 donkeys (42.66%), 3,165,260 camels (96.2%), 154,670 poultry of all species (0.5%), and 5,330 beehives (0.12%). For nomadic inhabitants, the CSA provided two sets of estimates, one based on aerial surveys and the other on more conventional methodology:[25]
| Livestock | Aerial survey (conducted 5-23 Nov. 2003) | Conventional survey (conducted 11 Dec. 2003) |
|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 2,670,280 | 1,130,610 |
| Sheep | 8,410,800 | 4,250,110 |
| Goats | 8,525,460 | 3,177,580 |
| Camels | 3,041,870 | 194,510 |
| Donkeys | 142,640 | 124,290 |
| Mules | 1,430 | 160 |
| Horses | 1,000 | 80 |
West fromAddis Ababa,Awash 572 km viaHarar andJijiga toDegehabur
Somali Regional State has 3 international airport and 2 commercial airports. The international airports areJijiga Airport,Gode Airport, andKabri Dar Airport, The 2 commercial airports areDolo Airport, andShilavo Airport.
The executive branch is headed by the Chief Administrator of Somali Regional State. The currentChief Administrator isMustafe Mohammed Omer (Cagjar), elected on 22 August 2018.[26] A Vice President of Somali Region succeeds the president in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the president. The current vice president isAdam Farah Ibrahim. The other offices in the executive branch cabinet are the Regional Health Bureau, Educational Bureau, and 18 other officials.[27]
There are three levels of the Somali regionjudiciary. The lowest level is the court of common pleas: each woreda maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over all justiciable matters. The intermediate-level court system is the district court system. Four courts of appeals exist, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas, municipal, and county courts in an administrative zone. A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is elected.
The highest-ranking court, the Somali Supreme Court, is Somali's "court of last resort". A Seven-justice panel composes the court, which, by its own discretion, hears appeals from the courts of appeals, and retains original jurisdiction over limited matters. The chief judge is called the Chief of Somali Supreme Court Abdullahi Saed Omar.[33]
The State Council, which is the highest administrative body of the state, is made up of 269 members.[34]
Somali is represented by
Like other Regions in Ethiopia, Somali Region is subdivided into eleven administrative zones and Six Special administrative zones:[35]
The zones are themselves subdivided intodistricts.
{{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).{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)Different aid groups were also set up to help communities cope in the predominantly Gadabursi district of Aw Bare.
The Gadabursi, who dominate the adjacent Awbare district north of Jijiga and bordering with the Awdal Region of Somaliland, have opened the already existing camps of Derwanache and Teferi Ber to these two communities.
{{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).{{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).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Regions | |
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| Chartered cities | |
| Topics | |
| 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 | |
7°26′19″N44°17′49″E / 7.4387305°N 44.2968750°E /7.4387305; 44.2968750
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