Welkait
Welkait
ወልቃይት Wolkait | ||
---|---|---|
Country Ethiopia | | |
Region | Tigray | |
Area | ||
• Total | 3,374.52 km2 (1,302.91 sq mi) | |
Population (2007) | ||
• Total | 138,926 |
Welkait (also spelled Welkayt, Wolkait or Wolqayt) is a
Overview and History
Following the fall of the communist Derg regime and ascension to power of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the region incorporated into the Tigray Region due to its historical ties to the Tigray people.[3]
Welkait was historically its own province until 1944 when it was incorporated into Begmeder. This decision by Haile Selassie aimed to punish Tigray for the first Woyane rebellion. The uprising, led by Tigrayan farmers, was a response to Haile Selassie's plans to centralize power in Ethiopia around the government in Shewa, which went against the Tigrayan people's desire for self-determination.
Following the suppression of the rebellion, Haile Selassie assigned Welkait to Begmeder to allow the Amhara-led elite in Begmeder to control the area and weaken Tigrayan unity, preventing further uprisings. Ras Mengesha Seyoum, the last monarch prince in Tigray, attested to the fact that, during his youth, all of Western Tigray and Southern Tigray to Alwuha Milash was known to be ethnically Tigrayan. However, portions of Western Tigray and Southern Tigray were taken from Tigray in the 1940s by Haile Selassie as a punitive measure and to expand Amhara influence.[4] TPLF used this to justify the incorporation of Welkait into the Tigray region.
Welkait is known for its fertile
.Demographics
The ethnic make up of the region is widely disputed. This question was intensified with its incorporation into the Tigray region. According to a demographic analysis done by the
However there are arguments made against these claims. That Welkait is historically and ethnically Amhara. These claims come from the idea that TPLF incorporated Welkait into the Tigray region to create a border between Tigray and Sudan. The Welkait comitte was created in Gonder as a response to the incorporation of Welkait into the Tigray region, asking for the Welkait to be incorporated into the Amhara region. There are documents proving that Welkait is historically and majority Amhara and therefore justifying the incorporation of Welkait into Amhara region.
Based on the 2007 census conducted by the
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 90,186, of whom 45,657 were men and 44,529 were women; 4,597 or 5.1% of its population were urban dwellers. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Wolqayt were the
Ethnicity
Ethnic Group | 1994 Census[7] | 2007 Census*[8] |
---|---|---|
Tigrayan (Tigrinya) people | 96.58% | 93.52% |
Amhara | 3.03% | 6.48% |
Kunama | - | 0.31% |
Oromo | - | 0.35% |
Eritreans | 0.21% | 0.03% |
Afar | 0.02% | 0.02% |
Agaw | 0.04% | 0.10% |
Irob | - | 0.11% |
Sudanese | 0.07% |
*Urban and Rural
Mother Language
Language | 1994 Census[9] | 2007 Census*[10] |
---|---|---|
Tigrinya | 97.14% | 86.73% |
Amharic | 2.75% | 12.18% |
Afaan Oromo | 0.01% | 0.33% |
Kunama | - | 0.32% |
Agaw | 0.06% | 0.09% |
*Urban and Rural
Religion
Religion | 1994 Census[11] | 2007 Census[12] |
---|---|---|
Orthodox Christian | 96.75% | 97.28% |
Protestant | 0.03% | - |
Muslim | 3.09% | 2.71% |
Economy
Agriculture
A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 24,417 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.99 hectares of land. Of the 24,286 hectares of private land surveyed, over 86.69% was in cultivation, 1.27% pasture, 10.37%
Sugar industry
The Ethiopian Sugar Corporation is building a sugar mill in Welkait region.[14]
Transportation
Ground Travel
In May 2010 construction was underway on a 98-kilometer road westwards from Adi Remets to
2020 woreda reorganisation
In 2020, Welkait woreda became inoperative and its territory belongs to the following new woredas:
- Welkait (new, smaller, woreda)
- Awra woreda
- Korarit woreda
- May Gaba town
References
- ^ Wosenyelew, Tedla (August 21, 2021). "Welkait, Ethiopia: Geo Strategic importance and the Consequential Annexation by TPLF". Horn of Africa Insight.
- ^ United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (27 March 2013). "Ethiopia Administrative Map" (PDF). Relief Web. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ a b Tesfaye, Abel (2022-08-03). "Under Ethiopia's federal system, Western Tigray belongs in Tigray". Ethiopia Insight. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ Ras mengesha sium briefly explained on the border of tigray, retrieved 2024-01-25
- ^ Census 2007 Tables: Tigray Region Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5 and 3.4.
- ^ 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Tigray Region, Vol. 1, part 1 Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.12, 2.19, 3.5, 3.7, 6.3, 6.11, 6.13 (accessed 30 December 2008)
- ^ The 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia Results for Tigray Region. Vol. 1. Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Authority. 1995. p. 70.
- ^ 2007 National Population and Housing Census. Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Authority. 2008. pp. 72–73.
- ^ The 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia Results for Tigray Region. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Statistical Agency. 1995. p. 82.
- ^ 2007 National Population and Housing Census. Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Agency. 2008. pp. 86–87.
- ^ 1994 Population and Housing Census Results for Tigray Region. Vol. 1. Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Agency. 1995. p. 98.
- ^ 2007 National Housing and Population Census. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Statistical Agency. 2008. p. 99.
- ^ "Central Statistical Authority of Ethiopia. Agricultural Sample Survey (AgSE2001). Report on Area and Production - –Tigray (read Amhara) Region. Version 1.1 - December 2007" (accessed 26 January 2009)
- ^ "Ethiopia injects US$4 billion into sugar factories". The Africa Report. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ "Tigray, Southern towns get first roads", Addis Fortune 2 May 2010 (accessed 16 October 2016)