Ethiopia Part 2 - Jigjiga

As I mentioned previously, I was given the opportunity to visit while in Ethiopia for regional meetings. They organized three different visits to various humanitarian projects and I naturally was drawn to the one that has some obvious connections to where I work.

We did this in April 2013 when our meetings were hosted in Uganda. A few of us went to the far north of the country just south of the border with South Sudan (Agoro, Kitgum and Palabek). It was a fascinating trip and I had high expectations for this trip as well.

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I have heard about Jigjiga for several years. I have a couple of staff who are from there and it’s also an area where some Somalis have gone for refuge when conflict or natural disaster on our side of the border has forced people from their homes. As a result, it hosts some refugee camps.

Jigjiga is the capital of the Somali Region in Ethiopia. As I alluded to in the previous blog entry, historically the Somali people have covered a large swath of eastern Africa. They form one of the largest ethnic groups on the continent and cover one of the most expansive landmasses by a single ethnic group in Africa, in spite of the fact that the people are divided by national borders.

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A Bit about Greater Somalia

The modern division of the Somali people came about for a number of reasons. For centuries, there have been external forces from Arabia and other parts of Africa who invaded and/or created alliances with several powerful Somali empires who dominated the regional trade. But as the Scramble for Africa began to heat up in the second half of the19th century, Europeans rapidly began to expand their colonial ambitions in the Horn of Africa. Various sultanates entered into treaties with various external powers. Much of this was driven by the access to the strategically important Suez Canal and Gulf of Aden. Italy and Britain in particular were focused on the Horn of Africa.

The borders that are recognized today are largely the product of the fallout of World War II. After the war, deals were made among the victors regarding the spoils. In 1948, under pressure from their WWII allies (and to the dismay of Somalis who were obviously not consulted), the Brits ceded control of the Somali territory in what is now Ethiopia. This was based on a treaty they signed in 1897 in which the British ceded Somali territory to the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik in exchange for his help against raids by Somali clans. Britain included the proviso that the Somali nomads would retain their autonomy, but Ethiopia immediately claimed sovereignty over them. This prompted a bid by Britain in 1956 to purchase back the Somali lands it had turned over, but it was unsuccessful. The role of Ethiopia in this division of the Somali people continues to be a sore point even today.

The division of the Somali people in the south (northeastern Kenya) is also the product of this period. On 26 June 1960, four days before granting British Somaliland independence, the British government declared that all Somali-inhabited areas of East Africa, or “Greater Somalia” should be unified in one administrative region. Their intention was for Kenya to cede part of what was called the Northern Frontier. However, after the dissolution of the former British colonies in the region, Britain granted administration of the Northern Frontier to Kenyan nationalists despite an overwhelming desire of the region's population to join the newly formed Somali Republic.

Thus, the Somali people remain divided by modern, international borders. This sentiment behind “we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us” applies here as it does in many parts of the world. A few years ago while in Mogadishu, I saw the below image painted on the wall in a meeting room. It took me a minute to figure out what it was, but it eventually dawned on me that it is a map of “Greater Somalia” – the Somali territories irrespective of modern borders. It still figures prominently in the Somali psyche.

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Jigjiga

In Jigjiga, 1948 brought about mixed feelings. The withdrawal of British forces meant the end of colonial occupation. But it also meant Ethiopian governance which, for many, was still considered a foreign (non-Somali) entity, albeit African. This sentiment fueled periodic unrest over the next several decades, including the Ogaden War and the Somali invasion that I mentioned in the previous blog.

Today, the city is peaceful (unlike other parts of Ethiopia) and becoming an economic powerhouse. Construction is everywhere and it’s a far bigger city than I thought it was.

we drank SO much coffee

From Addis it’s about an hour flight. We arrived in the morning and, after our security briefing, our party of five (three visitors and two Ethiopian staff) hopped  in two Land Cruisers and we headed northeast towards the refugee camps located near the border with Somaliland. We arrived after about an hour and a half and went straight to some child protection activities.

"crazed child force-feeding frightened cat"

Having worked in Somalia for over seven years, visiting the Somali region of Ethiopia was particularly interesting. It felt similar in some ways and in other ways it was very different. The soil is generally darker and more fertile. There is still the pastoralism that drives the economy on both sides of the border but on the Ethiopia side you see more cattle. In Somalia, it’s mostly camels and goats. In addition to the long tradition and cultural attachment that Somalia has to the camel, when in such an arid climate camels obviously make the most economic sense. However, if you have a wetter climate with more fertile soil, cattle make more economic sense. You still see a few camels in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, they’re just far outnumbered by the cows.

a bit greener than what I am used to

Another striking difference is the security situation. Though the Jigjiga area has seen its troubles over the years, it’s calm now. Unlike Somalia, there was no need for armored vehicles, tinted windows, armed escorts, etc. We just headed out in normal Land Cruisers.

serious crowd

Though the area is dominated by Muslims (83%), the approach to the faith seems slightly more relaxed. You occasionally see non-Muslims and a few women walking around without head covering. You would never see that in Somalia. Even if you’re visiting, you would adhere to local customs. I saw a video a while back of a woman being chased down a street in Somalia and being called a prostitute, for leaving the house in jeans.

The obvious difference is that the region is just one part of a country that is ethnically and culturally diverse. Somalia doesn’t have this sort of diversity.

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typical Somali region village in the middle of nowhere

After our visit to the refugee camp, we returned to the field office where we would have a late lunch. Visits like this are rare so they pulled out all the stops. They spread branches across the floor as decoration and a sign of respect. The meal consisted of multiple courses (chicken curry, fried fish, beef, fried chicken, salad, rice, fries, etc.). It was far more than we could eat. The leftovers would inevitably be consumed by staff, which was some of some comfort.

fancy

After lunch, we headed back. It had rained during the time that we were visiting the refugee camp and the road was muddy. In one or two places the water was halfway up the side of the vehicle. We spotted some massive tortoises over the course of the day and a couple of small dik-diks (small antelopes that are less than two-feet tall fully grown). Otherwise, there isn’t much wildlife. 

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Upon arriving at the hotel in Jigjiga, I was looking to put up my feet and catch up on some emails. I retreated to my room with a couple bottles of water and settled in, hoping that there was a sufficiently functioning Wi-Fi. There was, but I soon noticed a couple of other issues.

Traveling for a couple of decades in various parts of Africa, I’ve seen a lot of weird and/or off-putting things in my lodging. I’m pretty chill about most inconveniences and I sort of roll with the punches. I thought the most annoying thing I would deal with was the loud street noise. Just outside was a busy street with non-stop traffic, including noisy trucks and tuk-tuks. I put on my noise-canceling headphones and it seemed to dampen the sound. I resumed my work.

As dusk set in I went to turn on the light. As I hit the switch, an intense pulsating light flashed in the room. For some unknown reason, the hotel had installed a strobe light for the overhead lamp. I tried various things to get it to stop, thinking that no one in their right mind would purposefully install a flashing light as a hotel room’s primary light source. To no avail. Just then I heard a guy from the hotel out in the hallway. I opened the door, greeted him and mentioned the issue. His English wasn’t very good (and “strobe light” is not a common Somali term that I might have learned) so I motioned for him to come near the doorway and gave him a demonstration. He seemed sincerely surprised and asked if I wanted to change rooms. I actually don’t use overhead lights very often if there is a nightstand lamp option. There was, so I told him that I was fine, but that they needed to banish pulsating lights from their hotel rooms.

I closed the door and went to turn on the lamp. Of course, it didn’t work. I tried everything to get it to come to life but to no avail. In retrospect, I probably should have marched downstairs and had them switch my room. But, given that I always travel with a small rechargeable lamp, I would be going to bed soon and I was leaving the next morning, I shrugged my shoulders, turned on my personal lamp and carried on with what I was doing.

Then the first mosquito bit my ankle. I put on repellent and continued working. But they turned out to be relentless, paying little heed to my attempt to deter them. At one point I shined the light on the wall above my head only to see dozens of mosquitos on the wall waiting their turn to have their way with me. After a second application of repellent to my head and pulling the sheet up to my neck, I was able to get some sleep.

The next morning we had breakfast and made our way to the airport. Other than a sweaty, noisy, packed waiting area, a delayed flight and a chaotic boarding process, travel back to Addis went smoothly.

I was more than happy to return to my nice hotel room at the Radisson, have a drink and settle in to a mosquito-free, strobe-free, quiet night.