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Historical Overview
Historical of Early Twentieth Century Ethiopia
A History of Early Twentieth Century Ethiopia
Alien Incursions into Somali Territory and Incipient Colonialism
Somalis in Ethiopia
Chronology
Ogaden's role in Somalia saga
Anti-colonialism and Class Formation: the Eastern Horn of Africa Before 1950
Anti-colonialism and Class Formation: the Eastern Horn of Africa Before 1950 (Part 2)


Before the colonialists came to Africa, especially to the Horn of Africa in the late half of the 19th century, the people of the Horn lived relatively peaceful with no one denying the nationhood or identity of the other. The war and conflicts caused mainly by a power struggle within Abyssinia coupled with ambition of Abyssinia to acquire more territory to reach the goal and win the throne of the kingdom, every Abyssinian Empire had to amass as much land, people and wealth as possible. This objective promoted aggression and invasion towards the neighboring African lands. As a result many areas in the Horn of Africa were taken by the Abyssinian Empire (now known Ethiopia).
Around this time, Ahmed Ibrahim (known as Ahmed Gurane) and his men fought with Abyssinian aggressors in order to avert latter's permanent threat to some areas of the Horn of Africa. The Abyssinian Empire was humiliated and almost defeated in the war, the Portuguese came for their help. The situation of colonial help, Ahmed Ibrahim himself was killed by the Portuguese troops. But his men and many other anti-colonial forces despite the Martyrdom of their, were still able to stop the Abyssinian in their land.

At the time of colonialist scramble of Africa in general, especially in the Horn of Africa the colonial power, namely Britain, France and Italy, with each their own colonial interests had simultaneously invaded the Horn of Africa. Britain hat its Cape Town - Cairo project and wanted to link Southern Africa with Northern Africa without other colonial possession interrupting. France wanted to extend his colonial possession of West Africa to the Red Sea. Italy had the intention to create an Italian-East African Empire.

None of the colonial strategies could be implement without the destruction of one interest to the other. This made Abyssinia the Key for their colonial seek. Therefore, to avoid direct military confrontation, the colonialists campaigned each other to win the confidence and friendship of the Abyssinian Empire. The colonialist rushed to bribe Abyssinia in accordance with the latter's demand for military aid and they granted huge number of sophisticated war machine to Ethiopia.

After delivering a large number of relatively modern arms, Ethiopia with the help of the colonial power was able to conquer the city of Harar in 1887. The fall of Harar in the hand of Abyssinia did not guarantee or stop the ambition for Ethiopians to occupy whole of Ogaden. And in order to facilitate Ethiopian occupation of Ogaden, the colonial power forbade Ogaden people the possession of any fire arms. Britain was the greatest collaborator with Ethiopia in this process, taking advantage of the protection agreement, signed by Britain with Ogaden chiefs on 1st September 1896 within the context of the convention signed by Britain with chiefs of the other different Somali regions. The second agreement ( the context of the convention signed by Britain with chiefs of other different regions of Somalia) was the fundamental factor by which Britain exercised its authority over Ogaden. The first agreement (1.9.1896 signed by Britain with the Ogaden chiefs) was not a concession of the sovereignty - of Ogaden to Britain or granting the right to submit Ogaden people to Abyssinian Empire or Ethiopian rulers, neither disarming them nor annexing their land to Ethiopia while Ogaden chiefs were full-adherence to the 1896 agreement. The protecting country (Britain) was practicing political hypocrisy and colonial policy games without legally respecting the above mentioned agreement.

Britain's main objectives of both (1896 agreement and Cape Town-Cairo project) were:

1. To establish a new colonial policy game to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) towards, the Mahdi Revolution against Britain's colonial occupation to Sudan.

2. To set a new colonial policy game pressure placed on it by the American oil companies to annex Ogaden to Abyssinia (Ethiopia). After the full information of the economic resources available in Ogaden.

In 1897 Britain signed an agreement with Abyssinia under which recognized the Abyssinian occupation to Harar and other areas around it. On 24.09.1948 Britain annexed most of other Ogaden territories to Ethiopia and the plan was completed in 1954.

The above plan of Britain were entirely considered as breach of the 1896 agreement between Britain and Ogaden chiefs. Such plans including the annexation of Ogaden to Ethiopia which was directly implemented without considering the destiny of the people or consulting them (People are the only possessors of the right for self-determination on the basis of the General Principles of International Law). On the the hand, the 1896 agreement basically constituted Britain's control over Ogaden which aimed to preservation of the Ogaden people and their land against the others (Abyssinia or the others).

So that any action against it (Misguiding or abuse) would harm the fundamental principles of the agreement.

On thee General Principles of International Law, the British actions related to the future of Ogaden, especially the concession (Ogaden) to Ethiopia would assume the authority to transfer the sovereignty of an existing nation to another with no one to delegate Britain with that authority.


In order to win the throne of the kingdom, the Abyssinian Empire welcomed and supported the European invasion of the Horn of Africa and supplied human resources and vital strategic information. The problem that occurred in the Horn of Africa and which the present people are now helplessly enduring the repercussions can be traced both the Europ-colonial and Ethiopian colonial actions. From the mentioned political games (1897 - 1948), the Ogaden boundaries were constantly predetermined by foreign forces. Since that time the Ogaden history has been quite turbulent one and Ogaden people's struggle for self-determination has not misdestined or stopped. It has scene of many battles against the former tyrant regimes in Ethiopia, hence becoming virtually a huge military zone and military camps of the former Ethiopian rulers or regimes. Many sporadic wars, human upheavals, silenced or curbed policies etc were perpetrated against the innocent people in Ogaden.

People in Ogaden are anthropological, cultural and lingual Somali ethnic society (Somali language speaking). So that as like the other people in the globe (Africa, Europe, Australia, Asia and America) consider themselves culturally distinct from their ancestors, the Ogaden people so to consider their cultural unique after evolving their own identity over the long run of separation from the other Somalis.

After the accidental overthrow of the emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia by the military Revolution the Ogaden people took offensive to struggle the right for self-determination of their land. In order to foil and deny their right of wanting self-determination, the Ethiopian regime started to massacre and abuse the human rights of the people in Ogaden, these ugly deeds were including in discriminately killing, imprisoning without trail and inhumanely torturing the intellectual people in Ogaden. In the light of torturing the intellectual people in Ogaden. In the light of the above mentioned actions made the bloody war in 1977/78 between Ogaden and Ethiopian immutable, which became an international issue of the international arena. The war was a traumatic event in the recent history og Ogaden, thus resulting the huge exodus of over 2.5 million people from Ogaden into the neighboring countries and other parts of the world. In Somalia alone there were 1.5 million refugees in 59 different refugees camps exclusively for refugees from Ogaden. This was the main cause of the fundamental factors of the long constant problems of the Horn of Africa and in the first time in the known history of the Horn of Africa that a huge people fled from their land into another country. On the hand this was the tragically factor commencing the "domino-effect" of the refugees within Africa which is now infiltrating the remainder areas of the African continent.

After the Infrastructure, administration and government of Somalia completely broke down and the civil war started the huge refugees from Ogaden in the 59 different camps of Somalia become an easy target for the different factions and warlords in Somalia. Most of the refugees camps were attacked. For example:

The refugees from Ogaden in the refugee camp of Hiiraan (central region), north-western regions and southern regions of Somalia were killed Babies, children with their mothers were left to not where they have been slain. So many bodies have been thrown into the river Shabele (Belet Wein of Somalia). Thousands corpses have been eaten by crocodiles in the river. When refugees camps were deserted save for the vultures feeding on the bodies and swarms of flies. Ogaden refugees began ti return back to their home-land. When they reached Ogaden, they neither met any welcome-situation nor humanitarian aid.


this historical outlook about Ogaden wrote Professor Ahmed Napeleon and he is responsible of it.


When you like to know more events about Ogaden, than we advice you read the following Books

The evaded Duty and The Betrayal of the Somalis, Lous Fritz-Gibbon

The life and times of Menelik II (1844-1913) harald G.Marcus

Ethiopia, Great Britain and the united states, (1941-1974) Prof. Harald.G.Marcus

British military administration of occupied territories in Africa During the years (1941-1947) by Lord Rennel of Rodd

The cambridge History of Africa,
 

Ra,ayi/Waraysi