Sitti Zone

Sitti Zone (Somali: Gobolka Sitti), formerly known as Shinile, is one of eleven Zones of the Somali Region of Ethiopia.

Sitti Zone

Gobolka Sitti
Map of Sitti Zone
CountryEthiopia
RegionSomali
ZoneSitti
CapitalShinile
Area
 • Total36,626 km2 (14,141 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total1,700 000
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

Located at the northwestern point of the Somali Region and stretching across the savanna north of the Ahmar Mountains, Sitti is bordered on the south by Dire Dawa and the Oromia Region, on the west by the Afar Region, on the north by Djibouti, on the east by Somalia, and on the southeast by Fafan Zone. Other towns and cities in this zone include Aysha, Shinile, Dewele, Harewa, Adigale, Erer, Bike and Āfdem. Part of the northwestern corner is occupied by the Yangudi Rassa National Park, which is a notable local landmark.

Geography

The majority of Issa now live as agropastoralists. They cultivate sorghum and maize in the south of the zone, in the hilly area at the foot of the highlands, and mainly keep cattle. A total of 15-25% of the inhabitants of the Sitti zone are agropastoralists. This way of life has already entered the Dembel since about 1965. In other areas, cattle breeders started to cultivate agriculture, especially in the early 1990s. They were able to reduce their cattle herds and adapt themselves to the recurring droughts. The transition to Agropastoralism was also promoted by the Ethiopian government. In addition, the Somali wanted to catch up with Oromo peasants from the highlands, who increasingly went to the lowland to cultivate the Somalis land claimed there.

The most important livelihoods are livestock farming and some arable farming (agropastoralism). 75-85% of the population - especially the Issa are cattle breeders, mainly sheep and cattle, in less productive areas camels and goats. Even households which do not have camel herds, at least keep a camel as a beast of burden. In the dry season, sheep and dairy-producing animals remain near the villages, while camels, cattle and goats are kept in other pastoral areas. The cattle breeders mainly feed on the milk and ghee produced therefrom, they also sell cattle and mainly buy sorghum and sugar.

Since the illegal cessation of vast swathes of land in 2012 to the afar region by the previous government headed by the incarcerated president Mr Abdi Iley, this area has been a hotbed for human rights abuses. Frequent conflict, constant intrusion by afar militias and mass killing of local inhabitants has displaced thousands of the local Issa somali. The Ethiopian central government have thus far been muted. The lands in question (Adayti, Cundhuufo and Garbacisse) were previously administered under sitti zone and the major inhabitants are ethnic somali people, self determination votes as stated by the constitution of Ethiopia should solve the issue if given a formal go ahead by the central government.

Climate

The Sitti Zone has cold winters than the highlands, while the lowlands has mild winters. The region elevation is the major factor in temperature levels, with the higher areas, on average, as 17°C (62°F) cooler, day or night. Hot summer days are tempered by the low relative humidity and cooler evenings during summer months since, for most of the state, the highest diurnal difference in temperature is often in the summer.

The annual mean statistics for some Sitti Zone centres is shown below:

Town Min. Temp Max. Temp Rainfall
Shinile 15.1 °C (59.2 °F)35.0 °C (95.0 °F)557 mm (21.9 in)
Dewele 15.9 °C (60.6 °F)36.9 °C (98.4 °F)208 mm (8.2 in)
Bike 14.5 °C (58.1 °F)34.1 °C (93.4 °F)660 mm (26 in)
Āfdem 14.5 °C (58.1 °F)34.7 °C (94.5 °F)649 mm (25.6 in)
Aysha 16.6 °C (61.9 °F)37.3 °C (99.1 °F)223 mm (8.8 in)

Demographics

Ethnic groups of Sitti Zone

  Issa clan (Somali) (97%)
  Oromo (1.42%)
  Amharic (1.34%)
  Other (0.24%)

Based on the 2017 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 1 250,320 of whom 650,120 are men and 405,100 women. While 86,493 are urban inhabitants, a further 505,410 were pastoralists.

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 457,086 of whom 246,302 are men and 210,784 women. While 64,263 or 14.06% are urban inhabitants, a further 203,285 or 44.47% were pastoralists. Two largest ethnic groups reported in Sitti were the Somalis (97.03%) and Amhara (1.42%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.55% of the population. Somali language is spoken as a first language by 96.91%, Amharic by 1.36%, and Oromo by 1.34%; the remaining 0.39% spoke all other primary languages reported. 98.35% of the population said they were Muslim.[1]


The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 205,180 of whom 121,094 were men and 84,086 were women; 14.88% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Shinile was the Somali (95%); a similar share spoke Somali (95%). Only 12,085 or 3.4% were literate.[2]

According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, none of the inhabitants of Sitti have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 17.3 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, the average rural household has 1.2 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 2.25 for pastoral Regions)[3] and the equivalent of 1.4 heads of livestock. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 387.[4]

Agriculture
Camels watering hole near Hadigale.

On 5–23 November 2003, the CSA conducted the first ever national agricultural census, of which the livestock census was an important component.[5] For the Somali Region, the CSA generated estimated figures for the livestock population (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and equids) and their distribution by commissioning an aerial survey. For the Sitti Zone, their results included:

AnimalEstimated totalNumber per km2
Cattle 207,472 6.8
Sheep 670,956 49.5 (including goats)
Goats 849,451 49.5 (including sheep)
Camels 103,052 3.4
Asses 16,138 0.5 (all equids)
Mules 191 0.5 (all equids)
Horses 0

Towns
Sitti Zone
Town names Population
Shinile500,132
Dewele30,357
Lasarat2,269
Aysha150,321
Hadigale290,702
Milo2,173
Harewa1,787
Hurso3,318
Erer55,490
Gotha869
Biki259,197
Āfdem44,746
Jaldessa49,746
Aydora2,168
Asbuli100,490

Notes
  1. Census 2007 Tables: Somali Region, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.
  2. 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Somali Region, Vol. 1 Archived November 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Tables 2.1, 2.8, 2.12, 2.15, 3.7 (accessed 1 January 2009).
  3. Comparative national and regional figures comes from the World Bank publication, Klaus Deininger et al. "Tenure Security and Land Related Investment", WP-2991 Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 23 March 2006). This publication defines Benishangul-Gumaz, Afar and Somali as "pastoral Regions".
  4. World Bank, Four Ethiopias: A Regional Characterization (accessed 23 March 2006).
  5. "Livestock aerial survey in the Somali Region" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, CSA (November 2003), Tables 4, 6 (accessed 17 May 2009)

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