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'Jijiga' (also 'Jigjiga') is a city in eastern Ethiopia and the capital of the Somali Region (or ''kilil'') of that country. Located in the Jijiga Zone approximately 80 km east of Harar and 60 km west of the border with Somaliland (northern Somalia), this city has a latitude and longitude of .
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Jijiga has an estimated total population of 98,076 of whom 50,355 were males and 47,721 were females.[1] According to the 1994 national census this city had a population of 56,821 people. This city is the largest settlement in Jijiga woreda.
In his memoirs of his homeland, Nega Mezlekia describes Jijiga as sitting "on a vast, unmitigated plain, with no greenery in sight except for the occasional cactus bush used as shelter by the wandering hyena, and the inevitable sacred tree in every compound. The city is surrounded by rocky mountains on all sides save the north, which is open as far as the eye can see."[2]
The city is located on the main road between Harar and the Somali city of Hargeysa, and is known for incense production. Jijiga is served by an airport (ICAO code HAJJ, IATA JIJ).
Jijiga was a city of Hararghe province, but with the adoption of the 1995 Ethiopian constitution, it became the capital of the Somali Region.
According to I.M. Lewis, Jijiga was attacked by the followers of Siyyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan in March, 1900. Although the attackers suffered heavy losses which allowed the Ethiopian government to declare a victory, Siyyid Mohammed's men recovered livestock the Ethiopians had taken from the Somalis and proved that Siyyid Mohammed was a force to be reckoned with.[3] However, Richard Pankhurst states that Jijiga was founded in 1916 by Fitawrari Tekle Hawaryat, who had the town methodically organized in a square grid of streets.[4]
During the Ogaden War, Jijiga was occupied by the Somali National Army from September 1977 to February 1978.
On 28 May, 2007, during the celebration of Ginbot 20 (celebrating the downfall of the Derg), Jijiga and Degehabur were the scenes of attacks on civilians and government officals. At least 16 people were killed and 67 injured, including Abdulahi Hassan Mohammed, president of the Somali Region, who was speaking at the ceremony. The Ethiopian government blamed the attack on the Ogaden National Liberation Front.[5]
1. CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
2. Nega Mezlekia, ''Notes from the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Childhood'' (New York: Picador,2000), p. 5. ISBN 0312289146
3. I.M. Lewis, ''A Modern History of the Somali'', fourth edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), p. 71.
4. Richard Pankhurst, ''Economic History of Ethiopia'' (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie University, 1968), p. 621
5. Many killed in Ethiopia attacks(al Jazeera)
★ Cities of Ethiopia: Jijiga by John Taylor (Addis Tribune, 28 December 2001)
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Jijiga has an estimated total population of 98,076 of whom 50,355 were males and 47,721 were females.[1] According to the 1994 national census this city had a population of 56,821 people. This city is the largest settlement in Jijiga woreda.
In his memoirs of his homeland, Nega Mezlekia describes Jijiga as sitting "on a vast, unmitigated plain, with no greenery in sight except for the occasional cactus bush used as shelter by the wandering hyena, and the inevitable sacred tree in every compound. The city is surrounded by rocky mountains on all sides save the north, which is open as far as the eye can see."[2]
The city is located on the main road between Harar and the Somali city of Hargeysa, and is known for incense production. Jijiga is served by an airport (ICAO code HAJJ, IATA JIJ).
| Contents |
| History |
| Notes |
| External link |
History
Jijiga was a city of Hararghe province, but with the adoption of the 1995 Ethiopian constitution, it became the capital of the Somali Region.
According to I.M. Lewis, Jijiga was attacked by the followers of Siyyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan in March, 1900. Although the attackers suffered heavy losses which allowed the Ethiopian government to declare a victory, Siyyid Mohammed's men recovered livestock the Ethiopians had taken from the Somalis and proved that Siyyid Mohammed was a force to be reckoned with.[3] However, Richard Pankhurst states that Jijiga was founded in 1916 by Fitawrari Tekle Hawaryat, who had the town methodically organized in a square grid of streets.[4]
During the Ogaden War, Jijiga was occupied by the Somali National Army from September 1977 to February 1978.
On 28 May, 2007, during the celebration of Ginbot 20 (celebrating the downfall of the Derg), Jijiga and Degehabur were the scenes of attacks on civilians and government officals. At least 16 people were killed and 67 injured, including Abdulahi Hassan Mohammed, president of the Somali Region, who was speaking at the ceremony. The Ethiopian government blamed the attack on the Ogaden National Liberation Front.[5]
Notes
1. CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
2. Nega Mezlekia, ''Notes from the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Childhood'' (New York: Picador,2000), p. 5. ISBN 0312289146
3. I.M. Lewis, ''A Modern History of the Somali'', fourth edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), p. 71.
4. Richard Pankhurst, ''Economic History of Ethiopia'' (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie University, 1968), p. 621
5. Many killed in Ethiopia attacks(al Jazeera)
External link
★ Cities of Ethiopia: Jijiga by John Taylor (Addis Tribune, 28 December 2001)
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