Ferfer

Fērfēr
ፌርፌር
Fērfēr
Location in Ethiopia
Coordinates:
Country Ethiopia
Region Somali Region
Elevation 177 m (581 ft)
Population (2005)
 • Total 4,411 (est)
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)

Ferfer (Amharic: ፌርፌር[1]) is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Gode Zone of the Somali Region close to the border with Somalia, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 177 meters above sea level.

During the first three months of 1964, heavy fighting took place between Ethiopia and Somalia at several border points in the Ogaden, one of which was Ferfer.[2] Ferfer was among the locations within Ethiopia that were still under Somali control after Somalia's defeat in the Ogaden War of 1977/78.[3]

The Ethiopian army maintains an important base in Ferfer.[4] In June 2008, the border town was briefly seized by the Somali al-Shabaab.[5]

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Ferfer has an estimated total population of 4,411 of whom 2,418 are men and 1,993 are women.[1] The 1997 census reported this town had a total population of 2,956 of whom 1,597 were men and 1,359 women. All of the inhabitants of this town belonged to the Somali people.[6] It is the largest settlement in Ferfer woreda.

Notes

  1. ^ a b CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
  2. ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 23 January 2008)
  3. ^ Gebru Tareke, "The Ethiopia-Somalia War of 1977 Revisited," International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2000 (33), p. 660
  4. ^ Ethiopian troops occupy strategic crossroad in central Somalia. Garowe Online, February 1, 2009 (accessed March 7, 2010)
  5. ^ Alisha Ryu: Peace Accord Brings More Violence to Somalia. VOA News, June 13, 2008 (accessed November 20, 2008)
  6. ^ 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Somali Region, Vol. 1 Tables 2.4, 2.14 (accessed 10 January 2009). The results of the 1994 census in the Somali Region were not satisfactory, so the census was repeated in 1997.