Kemise (Oromo: Kamisee; Amharic: ከሚሴ) is a town and administrative seat of the Oromia Zone in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Kemise is 224 kilometres (139 mi) northeast of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa and has a latitude and longitude of 10°43′N 39°52′E / 10.717°N 39.867°E with an elevation of 1424 meters above sea level. It was part of the former Chaffa Gola Dewerahmedo district and is now surrounded by the Dawa Chaffa district.
Kemise | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 View of shops in Kemise | |
  Kemise Location within Ethiopia | |
| Coordinates: 10°43′N 39°52′E / 10.717°N 39.867°E | |
| Country |  Ethiopia |
| Region |  Amhara |
| Zone | Oromia Zone |
| Elevation | 1,424 m (4,672 ft) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 19,420 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Overview
editAround Kemise are three villages with mosques, reachable only by footpaths: Dewe Rahmedo, about 20 kilometers from Kemise; Shonke, 23 kilometers away; and about 12 kilometers south of Kemise there is a footpath to the east after another 5 kilometers arrives at Tiru Sina. There are allegedly Muslim monasteries for men and women around this town, with their members living in round huts distributed in the landscape, separated from each other in the same way as Christian monks and nuns.[1]
On 19 January 2002 one person was killed during a clash between Muslims and Christians in Kemise. According to police reports, they arrested several persons for organizing the disruption or throwing rocks at the procession; however, all of those arrested subsequently were released. The person responsible for the death had not been identified by the year's end.[2]
Demographics
editBased on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this town has a total population of 19,420, of whom 9,782 are men and 9,638 women. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 90% reporting that as their religion, while 10% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[3]
The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 10,822 of whom 5341 were men and 5481 women.
History
edit21st century
editStarting on 18 March 2021 clashes broke out in the town of Ataye after Amhara Special Forces shot a person at the steps of the main mosque in the city. From there clashes, riots, and pogroms perpetrated by Oromo militias spread throughout the Oromia Zone eventually making its way to the town of Kemise where extensive damage was done. The clashes finally ended on 31 March killing 303 people. [4][5][6]
During the Tigray War, on 31 October 2021, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) said they captured Kemise, on the same day that the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) also claimed to have captured Kombolcha, 53 km (33 miles) to the north.[7]
Notes
edit- ^ "Local History of Ethiopia" The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 22 April 2022)
- ^ "Ethiopia: International Religious Freedom Report 2002", Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US State Department (accessed 9 July 2009)
- ^ Census 2007 Tables: Amhara Region Archived 14 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.
- ^ "more than 80 thousand displaced by clashes in north cewa and oromo national zones". BBC. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "ANALYSIS: POST-VIOLENCE RECOVERY IN OROMO SPECIAL, NORTH SHEWA ZONES REEL AS THOUSANDS REMAIN DISPLACED". addisstandard. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "NEWS: UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED IN ONGOING VIOLENCE IN OROMIA SPECIAL ZONE AND NORTH SHEWA ZONE, AMHARA REGION AS WARRING FACTIONS TRADE BLAME". addisstandard. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Tigrayan and Oromo forces say they have seized towns on Ethiopian highway". Reuters. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.