Hagere Selam (Degua Tembien)

Coordinates: 13°39′N 39°10′E / 13.650°N 39.167°E / 13.650; 39.167
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Hagere Selam
ሃገረ ሰላም
May Aleqti, Idaga Hamus
Town
UTC+3 (EAT
)
Dingilet

Hagere Selam (

woreda
. The weekly market is on Saturdays.

Hagere Selam is located on the

apiculture
.

Demographics

Based on figures from the census in 2007, Hagere Selam had a total population of 8,130 of whom 3,702 were men and 4,428 were women. The 1994 census reported a total population of 3,932.

Harena and Melfa
.

Water

Given its upper position in the landscape, the town suffers from endemic water shortages. A small reservoir was built at the southern side of the town for sake of irrigation in Addi Selam, but it has been silted up because of erosion during road works.

Religion and churches

Almost all inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. There are two churches in Hagere Selam: Medhane Alem and Tsion.

Schools

Almost all children of the town are schooled, though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades.[2] Schools in Hagere Selam include Addi Selam TVET (technical and vocational school) and Hagere Selam High School.

History

Hagere Selam around 2010

The history of Hagere Selam is strongly confounded with the

history of Tembien. For a long time, Melfa, west of Hagere Selam, was the capital of Tembien;[3] later on, the administration was established in Abiy Addi as it was easier of access.[4]

In 1951, Gebru Gebrehiwot, the new governor, decided to create a new capital of Tembien. First the location of Melfa was chosen. As the inhabitants of Melfa rejected the idea, Hagere Selam was created as a new town. It used already to be an open air market place (hence the name "Idaga Hamus" or Thursday market) – the place was a strategically located mountain saddle, also called "May Aleqti". The new town grew then from the pre-existing settlements May Aleqti and Addi Hailom. In practice, the capital remained in Abiy Addi. It was only after the district of

Dogu’a Tembien was created that Hagere Selam started to grow. Basic modern infrastructure (electricity, tap water) came only in the early years 2000.[3]
Starting 2016, a new settlement was established in a nearby location called Addi Selam.

During the 2020-2021

EEPA report stated that this corroborated reports of ongoing attacks in the area.[6]
On 21 December 2020, an
EEPA report stated that ENDF soldiers killed ‘many’ in Hagere Selam. They had come to the town to take revenge after they lost a battle against Tigray Defence Forces. In the subsequent days the town Hagere Selam was ‘entirely’ looted by Eritrean soldiers fighting on the side of the ENDF. They went door to door, forcing their way in and taking what they could. In Hagere Selam there was no water and little food and the hospital was in a dire situation as medical supplies were running critically low. It could not refer patients to the main Ayder referral hospital in Mekelle.[7]

Geology

Tourism

Its mountainous nature and proximity to

TPLF in caves in neighbouring Mahbere Sillasie. The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invites for geological and geographic tourism
. Most geosites are located in surrounding area, but at the outskirts of Hagere Selam one finds:

References

  1. ^ Data provided by Woreda Dogu'a Tembien Finance Office
  2. ^ Hartjen, C.A. and Priyadarsini, S., 2012. Denial of Education. In The Global Victimization of Children (pp. 271-321). Springer, Boston, MA.
  3. ^ a b Smidt, W (2007). Mälfa, in: Uhlig S (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Vol 3. p. 696.
  4. .
  5. ^ Nyssen, Jan (2021). "The situation in Tigray at the beginning of 2021". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.[self-published source]
  6. ^ Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 30 - 19 December Europe External Programme with Africa
  7. ^ Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 33 - 22 December Europe External Programme with Africa
  8. .