Humera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Humera | |
  Humera
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Tigray |
| Zone | Mi'irabawi (Western) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 25,433 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Humera (also Himera, Ge'ez ሁመራ hūmerā) is a town in northern Ethiopia, near the borders of Sudan and Eritrea. Located in Mi'irabawi Zone of the Tigray Region, this town has a latitude and a longitude of . Humera is the administrative center of Kafta Humera woreda.[1]
Humera is served by Humera Airport (ICAO code HAHU, IATA HUE), but this is not currently operational due to the ongoing border dispute.
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) of Ethiopia published in 2005, Humera has an estimated total population of 25,433 of whom 14,364 were males and 11,069 females.[2] The 1994 census reported it had a total population of 14,451 of whom 7,649 were males and 6,802 were females.
The population increases dramatically each year during the farming season, when migrant workers arrive from all over the country. Sesame, tef and sorghum are among the most common crops. Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to disease; malaria and visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) cause considerable morbidity and mortality in this population.[citation needed]
[edit] History
Humera is part of the Wolqayt-Tsegede area, which historically has been part of the former province of Begemder. During the Ethiopian Civil War, Teranafit and its successor Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU) drew much of their support from the commercial farmers of Humera and Wolqayt, and gained control of Humera in early 1977; Derg forces with tanks and armored cars retook Humera in 10 June, and the officers of the EDU fled to Sudan. By February 1989, the economic constraints and humiliating military defeats the government had suffered forced it to evacuate Tigray, and withdraw its garrison at Humera. This action allowed the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front to take control of the area, and create a supply line into unchecked by the Derg.[3]
In the first few months after the beginning of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War, most of the population had fled south to the villages of Ba'eker (11,000), May Kedra (5000), and Bereket 4000; these refugees have since returned home.[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ At least in 1998, per EUE: Tigray Evacuees, 12/98
- ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4.
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 11 December 2007)
- ^ EUE: Tigray Evacuees, 12/98
