Humera
Humera
ሑመራ | |
|---|---|
Town | |
UTC+3 (EAT ) |
Humera (
intensive agriculture. It is the last Ethiopian town south of the border with Eritrea and Sudan, and is considered to be a strategically important gateway to Sudan.[citation needed
]
History
20th century
Prior to the Ethiopian Revolution, large agricultural businesses were established to grow soybean and other crops for export. By 1971, there were 700,000 hectares being farmed.[1]
Humera is part of the
Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) until their Third Revolutionary Army was crushed in the Battle of Shire on 19 February 1989; this forced the government to withdraw its garrison at Humera a few days later, and by the end of the month evacuate Tigray entirely. The TPLF then took control of the area, and created a supply line out of reach of the Derg.[3]
On 26 March 1989, Humera was bombed from the air by the Ethiopian Air Force.[4]
In the first few months after the beginning of the
Eritrean-Ethiopian War, most of the population fled south to the villages of Ba'eker (11,000), May Kedra (5,000), and Bereket (4,000). These refugees later returned to Humera.[5]
21st century
On 13 March 2008, a bomb exploded on a public bus in Humera, which killed eight people and wounded at least 27 more. The government arrested the alleged perpetrators, who testified in court they had acted on behalf of dissident groups supported by Eritrea. Their trial was still in process at the end of the year.[6]
In November 2020, the town was shelled during the
Tekeze River.[11]
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 93.18% reporting that as their religion, while 6.45% of the population were Muslim.[12]
Ethnic demographics of Kafta Humera woreda[13]
| Ethnicity | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Agew/Awingi | 242 | 0.5% |
| Amhara | 3780 | 7.8% |
| Kunama | 638 | 1.3% |
| Tigrayan | 41999 | 86.3% |
| Eritreans | 1439 | 3.0% |
| Others | 592 | 1.2% |
| Total | 48690 |
Geography
Humera is located in northwestern Ethiopia. By road it is 984 km (611 mi) northwest of
Shire. The Tekezé river
runs to the west of Humera. The town is spread on the east bank of the river. Humera is located at altitude ranges from 585 m above sea level.
Climate
Humera has a
hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification
BSh). The overall climate throughout the year is mild and dry. The annual rainfall ranges between 400 and 600 mm, with most of the rain falling in the rainy season (June up to September).
| Climate data for Humera, Tigray, Ethiopia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 36.4 (97.5) |
37.9 (100.2) |
41.2 (106.2) |
41.7 (107.1) |
41.2 (106.2) |
39.2 (102.6) |
33.9 (93.0) |
33 (91) |
34.2 (93.6) |
37.4 (99.3) |
38.3 (100.9) |
36.9 (98.4) |
37.6 (99.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
28.4 (83.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.2 (81.0) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.4 (84.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.9 (84.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
20.3 (68.5) |
20.6 (69.1) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
20.5 (68.9) |
19.6 (67.3) |
20.4 (68.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.0) |
45 (1.8) |
72 (2.8) |
171 (6.7) |
195 (7.7) |
123 (4.8) |
7 (0.3) |
6 (0.2) |
0 (0) |
620 (24.3) |
| Source: http://www.levoyageur.net/weather-city-HUMERA.html | |||||||||||||
Economy
The population increases dramatically during the farming season each year, when migrant workers arrive from all over the country.
Arabic gum
are among the most common crops.
Transport
The town is served by
Mek'ele
. The opening of the airport was aimed at increasing the agricultural sector in the region as well as providing commercial air service in Humera.
See also
- Humera massacre
- Fano (militia)
- Tigray conflict
References
- ISBN 1569020019.
- ^ "Hosaina – Hwate" (PDF). Local History in Ethiopia. The Nordic Africa Institute. 2005. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ Gebru Tareke, The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa (New Haven: Yale University, 2009), p. 284
- ^ Human Rights Watch, 24 July 1991: ETHIOPIA – "Mengistu has Decided to Burn Us like Wood" – Bombing of Civilians and Civilian Targets by the Air Force
- ^ EUE: Tigray Evacuees, 12/98
- ^ "2008 Human Rights Reports: Ethiopia", Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US State Department (retrieved 8 July 2009)
- ^ a b "Inside Humera, a town scarred by Ethiopia's war". Reuters. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- Daily Telegraph. Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Latif Dahir, Abdi (9 December 2020). "Fleeing Ethiopians Tell of Ethnic Massacres in Tigray War". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ Akinwotu, Emmanuel (2 December 2020). "'I saw people dying on the road': Tigray's traumatised war refugees". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ The Guardian, 3 August 2021: Dozens of bodies found floating in river between Ethiopia's Tigray and Sudan
- ^ Census 2007 Tables: Tigray Region Archived 14 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5 and 3.4.
- ^ The 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Tigray Region. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Central Statistical Authority. 1995. p. 70.
- ^ "Ethiopia inaugurates international airport at Humera" Archived 31 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Ethiopian News Agency 26 July 2009 (retrieved 1 November 2009)