Mieso

Mieso
Mieso

Location within Ethiopia

Coordinates: 09°14′N 40°45′E / 9.233°N 40.750°E / 9.233; 40.750
Country Ethiopia
Region Oromia
Zone Mirab (West) Hararghe
Elevation 1,394 m (4,573 ft)
Population (2005)
 • Total 21,348
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)

Mieso is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Mirab Hararghe Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of 9°14′N 40°45′E / 9.233°N 40.750°E / 9.233; 40.750Coordinates: 9°14′N 40°45′E / 9.233°N 40.750°E / 9.233; 40.750 with an elevation of 1394 meters above sea level.

Overview

A road was constructed connecting the town with the railroad station at Asebe Teferi in the 1930s. By the 1930s, Mieso was the most important railway stations of the Franco-Ethiopian Railway between Dire Dawa and Awash.[1] It is now a station stop on the new Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway. Mobile telephone service was introduced to Mieso May 2009.[2]

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 10,328 of whom 5,342 were males and 4,986 were females.[3] The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 5,769 of whom 2,897 were males and 2,872 were females. It is one of five towns in Mieso woreda.

History

One of the earliest mentions of Mieso was in 1907, when the German delegation of Friedrich Rosen passed Mieso that year on their way to the coast.[1] Near Mieso was where Lij Iyasu and his troops, returning to Addis Ababa to deal with the coup that cost him his throne, were defeated in October 1916 by an army led by half a dozen Shewan notables and driven back.[4]

During the Italian occupation, a mosque was built for local Muslim community.[1]

The Addis Tribune reported 5 January 2001 that 13 people died and 19 sustained light injuries when a train heading to Addis Ababa derailed and overturned near Mieso a few days prior on New Year's Eve. The train reportedly separated into three parts. A number of persons were travelling illegally on the train's freight compartments when the accident occurred.[1]

Numerous conflicts between the local Oromos and Somalis in Mieso followed the October 2004 referendum to establish the disputed boundary between the Oromia and Somali Regions; 2,500 people displaced from their homes in December 2004 had sought refuge at Mieso. NGOs working in the area reported conflicts as late as 14 July 2005.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 11 December 2007)
  2. ↑ "Six towns in W. Hararge get access to mobile telephone service", Ethiopian News Agency 23 May 2009 (accessed 30 May 2009)
  3. ↑ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
  4. ↑ Henze, Paul B. (2000). Layers of Time, A History of Ethiopia. New York: Palgrave. p. 195. ISBN 0-312-22719-1.
  5. ↑ "Regional Overview: Oromiya Region", Focus on Ethiopia (July 2005), p. 6 (accessed 11 February 2009)
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