Somali Region


The Somali Region, officially known as the Ogaden Region, is the second largest and easternmost of the ten regions of Ethiopia. The state borders the Ethiopian states of Afar and Oromia and the chartered city Dire Dawa to the west, as well as Djibouti to the north; Somalia to the north, northeast and east; and Kenya to the southwest.
Jijiga is the capital of the Somali Regional State. The capital was formerly Gode, until Jijiga became the capital in 1995 on account of political considerations. Other major towns and cities include Awbare, Degehabur, Kebri Dahar, Barey, Hamero, Fiq, Duhun, Erer, Kelafo, Shilavo, Kebri Beyah, Werder, Aware, Daroor, Gashamo, Shekosh, Baabili, Tuli Guled, Bookh, Gallaaddi, Sasabane, Gunagado, Boodalay, Dig, IWM.
The government of Somali 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.

Overview

The Somali Region covers much of the traditional territory of Ogaden and it formed a large part of the pre-1995 province of Hararghe. The population is predominantly Somali, and there have been attempts to incorporate the area into a Greater Somalia. In the 1970s, Somalia, supported by the United States, invaded Ethiopia, igniting the Ogaden War, which Somalia lost due to timely military intervention from the Soviet Union and its ally Cuba. Despite this defeat, local groups still tried either to become part of Somalia or independent.
The 2007 Abole oil field raid, in which 72 Chinese and Ethiopian oilfield workers were killed, has led to a series of military reprisals against the rebel group ONLF Ogaden National Liberation Front.
Until its first-ever district elections in February 2004, Zonal and woreda 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.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, the Somali Region has a total population of 4,445,219, consisting of 2,472,490 men and 1,972,729 women; urban inhabitants number 623,004 or 14.02% of the population, a further 1,687,858 or 37.97% were pastoralists. With an estimated area of 279,252 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 15.9 people per square kilometer. For the entire region 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. Ethnic groups include Somalis, Amhara, Oromo, foreign-born Somalis and Gurages. The population was projected to be 5,748,998 in 2017.
There are 8 refugee camps and 1 transit center, housing 212,967 refugees from Somalia, located in Somali Region.
In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was reported to be 3,439,860, of which 1,875,996 were males and 1,563,864 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. The ethnic groups included Somalis, Oromo, Amhara, and Gurages. Somali was the working language and is predominantly spoken within the Region, spoken by 95.9% of the inhabitants. Other major languages included Oromifa, Amharic, and Gurage. 98.7% of the population were Muslim, 0.9% Orthodox Christian, and 0.3% are followers of other religions.
According to the CSA,, 38.98% of the total population had access to safe drinking water, of whom 21.32% were rural inhabitants and 77.21% were urban. Values for other reported common indicators of the standard of living for Somali 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 Regional infant 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.
YearEthiopia
population		Somali Region
population		% of EthiopiaSource
200773,918,5054,439,1476.01%
201284,320,9875,148,9896.11%
201386,613,9865,318,0006.14%

Languages

was spoken by 98.82% of the inhabitants. Other minor languages included Amharic, and Oromifa.

Religion

accounts for 99.4% of the population, 0.50% Orthodox Christian, and 0.10% are followers of all other religions.

Agriculture

The CSA of Ethiopia estimated in 2005 that farmers in the Somali Region had a total of 459,720 cattle, 463,000 sheep, 650,970 goats, 91,550 donkey, 165,260 camels, 154,670 poultry of all species, and 5,330 beehives. For nomadic inhabitants, the CSA provided two sets of estimates, one based on aerial surveys and the other on more conventional methodology:
LivestockAerial survey
Conventional survey
Cattle670,280130,610
Sheep6,410,800250,110
Goats5,525,460177,580
Camels1,041,87064,510
Donkeys42,64014,290
Mules430160
Horses50-

Transportation

Ground travel

West from Addis Ababa, Awash 572 km via Harar and Jijiga to Degehabur

Air travel

Somali Region has 3 international airport and 2 commercial airports. The international airports are Jijiga Airport, Gode Airport, and Kabri Dar Airport, The 2 commercial airports are Dolo Airport, and Shilavo Airport.

Government

Executive branch

The executive branch is headed by the President of Somali Region. The current President is Mustafa Muhummed Omer, elected in 22 August 2018. 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 is Adam Farah Ibrahim. The other offices in the executive branch cabinet are the Regional Health Bureau, Educational Bureau, and 18 other officials.

List of Presidents of Somali Region

Judicial branch

There are three levels of the Somali region judiciary. 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 Soamli Supreme Court Abdullahi Saed Omar.

Legislative branch

The State Council, which is the highest administrative body of the state, is made up of 269 members.

National politics

Somali is represented by
Like other Regions in Ethiopia, Somali Region is subdivided into eleven administrative zones and Six Special administrative zones:
The zones are themselves subdivided into districts.