The area Assosa occupies came under Ethiopian control in 1898, when Emperor Menelik II skillfully exploited the traditional rivalry of the three local rulers, Sheikh Ejail al-Hassan of Assosa, Sheikh Mahmud of Khomosha and Sheikh Abd al-Rahman Al-Ejail of Bela-Shangul proper. When Ethiopia and the British administration of Sudan demarcated their common border in 1902, this finalized their annexation.[1]
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 310,822, of whom 158,932 are men and 151,890 women. 39,957 or 12.86% of population are urban inhabitants. A total of 72,879 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.27 persons to a household, and 69,378 housing units. The four largest ethnic groups reported in the Assosa Zone were the Berta (59.95%), the Amhara (23.86%), the Oromo (10.31%), and the Tigrayans (1.5%), 1.48% of the population was from Sudan; all other ethnic groups made up 2.9% of the population. Main languages are the Berta (59.31%), Amharic (25.7%), Oromo (10.68%), and Tigrinya (1.07%). The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 74.08% of the population reporting that they held that belief, while 16.51% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 8.57% were Protestant.[2]
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this zone has an estimated total population of 282,596, of whom 143,544 are men and 139,052 are women; 28,264 or 10% of its population are urban dwellers. With an estimated area of 14,166.12 square kilometers, Assosa has an estimated population density of 19.95 people per square kilometer.[3]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 208,155 in 47,755 households, of whom 106,017 were men and 102,138 were women; 16,420 or 7.89% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in the Assosa Zone were the [Berta (54%), the Amhara (26%), the Oromo (11%), the Tigrayans (1.5%), and the Mao (1.3%). Berta was spoken by 53.6%, Amharic is spoken as a first language by 26.7% and as a second language by another 6.2%, Oromiffa by 11.3% and as a second language by another 5.5%, Fadashi by 4.2%, and Tigrinya by 1.4%. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 78% of the population reporting they professed that religion, while 18.7% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 2.7% were Protestant.[4]
According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 9% of the inhabitants of Assosa have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 35.6 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, the average rural household has 1 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 2.25 for pastoral Regions)[5] and the equivalent of 0.4 heads of livestock. 17.1% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a regional average of 28%. 72% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 13% in secondary schools. 34% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and 58% to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 324.[6]
^Abdussamad H. Ahmad, "Trading in Slaves in Bela-Shangul and Gumuz, Ethiopia: Border Enclaves in History, 1897-1938", Journal of African History, 40 (1999), pp. 435f