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Areza ( ti, ዓረዛ) is a town in the Debub (Southern) region of
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
. It is the capital of the Areza Subregion. It lies to the west of Mendefera. The area is primarily agricultural and contains 20 ''kebabis'' (residential areas).


History

During the 18th century, the hereditary chiefs (Shum-Gulti) of Deqi Tesfa ruled from Areza. They faced much opposition during the 19th century from the Seraye. During the reigns of Emperors
Tewodros II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Tewodros II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, baptized as Gebre Kidan; 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopi ...
and Yohannes IV, the chiefs sought to enhance their authority by forming family alliances through marriage with the
Tsazzega {{refimprove, date=June 2012 Tseazega (Tigrinya: ጸዓዘጋ) is a village in Central Eritrea located in the former province of Hamasien. It is 5.6 miles (9 km) north-west from the capital city, Asmara. It is an entirely Christian village inh ...
and the
Hazzega Hazega ( ti, ሃዘጋ) is a small village in Central Eritrea located in the Maekel/Central Region or the former province of Hamasien. It is located approximately north-west from the capital city, Asmara, and south-east of Keren. It is an entir ...
. However, by the 1880s they lost control to the Ras Alula and sided with the Italians, who established a colonial post at Areza in 1890. The town grew in regional importance in the 1940s when the building of a dirt road to Barentu saw it develop as a market town. Tension mounted in the region in the 1960s and 1970s with the establishment of the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). They eventually liberated the town from the Ethiopian authorities in 1977 until July 1978 until recaptured and appointed as a military post by the
Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
. The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) occupied the vicinity in the 1980s, and in June 1981, the first of a series of battles took place in the area, particularly near
Mai Numa Mai, or MAI, may refer to: Names * Mai (Chinese surname) * Mai (Vietnamese surname) * Mai (name) * Mai (singer), J-Pop singer * Iris Mai (born 1962), German chess master Places * Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand * Ma-i, a pre-Hispa ...
and along the road to Tokombia. The initial fighting took place in the Areza area during Ethiopia's May 2000 offensive, especially around the well-guarded village of
Adi Nifas Adi or ADI may refer to: Names and titles * Adi (mythology), an Asura in Hindu faith who appears in the Matsya Purāṇa * Adi (name), a given name in Hebrew and a nickname in other languages * Adi (title), a Fijian title used by females of chi ...
and the town of
Mai Dima Mai, or MAI, may refer to: Names * Mai (Chinese surname) * Mai (Vietnamese surname) * Mai (name) * Mai (singer), J-Pop singer * Iris Mai (born 1962), German chess master Places * Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand * Ma-i, a pre-Hispa ...
.


References

{{coord, 14, 55, 29, N, 38, 33, 55, E, display=title Populated places in Eritrea Southern Region (Eritrea)