Humera (; ) is a town in the

Kafta Humera Kafta Humera () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Western Tigray of Tigray, Kafta Humera is bordered on the south by Tsegede, on the west by Sudan, by the Tekezé River which separates Kafta Humera from Eritrea on the north, ...

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas (; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''List of zones of Ethiopia, zones'' and the ''Regions of Ethiopia, regional states''. These districts are f ...

in the Tigray Region of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. Located in the Western Zone the town has an elevation of above sea level. The

Tekezé river The Tekezé River (; , originally meaning "river" in Ge’ez; , also spelled Takkaze; ), is a major river in Ethiopia. For part of its course it forms a section of the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The river is also known as the Seti ...

borders the town to the north. Humera is a very important regional agricultural center based on

intensive agriculture Intensive agriculture, also known as intensive farming (as opposed to extensive farming), conventional, or industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, both of crop plants and of animals, with higher levels of input and output per unit of ...

. It is the last Ethiopian town south of the border with

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

and

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, and is considered to be a strategically important gateway to

History

20th century

Prior to the

Ethiopian Revolution The Ethiopian Revolution () was a period of civil, police and military upheaval in Ethiopia to protest against the weakened Haile Selassie government. It is generally thought to have begun on 12 January 1974 when Ethiopian soldiers began a rebel ...

, large agricultural businesses were established to grow soybean and other crops for export. By 1971, there were 700,000 hectares being farmed. Humera is part of the

Wolqayt Welkait (also spelled Welkayt, Wolkait or Wolqayt) is a woreda in Western Zone, Tigray Region. This woreda is bordered to the north by Humera and to the south by Tsegede. It is bordered on the east by the North West Zone; the woredas of Tahtay ...

Tsegede Tsegede () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia, named after the historic province of Tsegede. Located in the Western Zone of Tigray, Tsegede is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Kafta Humera, and on the ...

area, which historically has been part of the former province of Semien also commonly known as Gondar. During the

Ethiopian Civil War The Ethiopian Civil War was a civil war in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea, fought between the Ethiopian military junta known as the Derg and Ethiopian-Eritrean anti-government rebels from 12 September 1974 to 28 May 1991. The Derg overthre ...

, Teranafit and its successor, the

Ethiopian Democratic Union The Ethiopian Democratic Union (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ህብረት) or EDU, also known as Teranafit (formerly a separate group based in Shire before it merged with the EDU), was one of the political parties that formed ...

(EDU), drew much of their support from the commercial farmers of Humera and Wolqayit, and gained control of Humera in early 1977;

Derg The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

forces with tanks and armored cars retook Humera on 10 June, and the officers of the EDU fled to Sudan. The Derg used Humera as a base for military campaigns against the

Tigrayan People's Liberation Front The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ), also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist, paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a terrorist organization ...

(TPLF) until their

Third Revolutionary Army Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

was crushed in the Battle of Shire on 19 February 1989; this forced the government to withdraw its garrison at Humera a few days later, and by the end of the month evacuate Tigray entirely. The TPLF then took control of the area, and created a supply line out of reach of the Derg. On 26 March 1989, Humera was bombed from the air by the

Ethiopian Air Force The Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) () is the air service branch of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. The ETAF is tasked with protecting the national air space, providing support to ground forces, as well as assisting civil operations during wa ...

. In the first few months after the beginning of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War, most of the population fled south to the villages of Ba'eker (11,000), May Kedra (5,000), and Bereket (4,000). These refugees later returned to Humera.EUE: Tigray Evacuees, 12/98
/ref>

21st century

On 13 March 2008, a bomb exploded on a public bus in Humera, which killed eight people and wounded at least 27 more. The government arrested the alleged perpetrators, who testified in court they had acted on behalf of dissident groups supported by Eritrea. Their trial was still in process at the end of the year. In November 2020, the town was shelled during the Tigray War. The

Humera massacre Humera (; ) is a town in the Kafta Humera woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Western Zone the town has an elevation of above sea level. The Tekezé river borders the town to the north. Humera is a very important regional ...

of ethnic Tigrayans took place. Responsibility for the massacre was attributed by refugees to Amharan militias, including

Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...

, and to the

Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) () is the combined military force of Ethiopia. ENDF is consisted of 10 command forces which is controlled by the Chief of General Staff. Commanders of the Military Supreme Commander – Taye At ...

(ENDF). Most inhabitants fled. Administration of the town was taken over by officials from

Amhara Region The Amhara Region (), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people, Amhara, Awi people, Awi, Xamir people, Xamir, Argobba people, Argobba, a ...

. In 2021, people were found having been tortured, tied up and thrown in the Tekeze River.The Guardian, 3 August 2021
Dozens of bodies found floating in river between Ethiopia's Tigray and Sudan
/ref>

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the

Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency, also known as the Ethiopian Statistical Service (ESS; Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ስታቲስቲክስ አገልግሎት), is an Ethiopian government agency designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that ...

of Ethiopia (CSA), this town has a total population of 21,653, of whom 11,395 are men and 10,258 women; this is an increase of 14,451 over the 1994 national census. With an area of 153.03 square kilometers, Humera has a population density of 141.50. A total of 49.84% households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 6,360 persons to a household, and 3.40 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

, with 93.18% reporting that as their religion, while 6.45% of the population were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. Ethnic demographics of Kafta Humera woreda

Geography

Humera is located in northwestern Ethiopia. By road it is northwest of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

, west of

Mek'ele Mekelle (), or Mek'ele, is a List of zones of Ethiopia, special zone and capital city, capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta province, Enderta Awrajja, awraja in Tigray Province, Tigray. It is locate ...

, and east of

Shire Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

. The

runs to the west of Humera. The town is spread on the east bank of the river. Humera is located at altitude ranges from 585 m above sea level.

Climate

Humera has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BSh''). The overall climate throughout the year is mild and dry. The annual rainfall ranges between 400 and 600 mm, with most of the rain falling in the rainy season (June up to September).

Economy

The population increases dramatically during the farming season each year, when migrant workers arrive from all over the country.

Sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

, and

Arabic gum Gum arabic (gum acacia, gum sudani, Senegal gum and by other names) () is a tree gum exuded by two species of ''Acacia sensu lato:'' ''Senegalia senegal,'' and ''Vachellia seyal.'' However, the term "gum arabic" does not indicate a particula ...

are among the most common crops.

Transport

The town is served by

Humera Airport Humera Airport is a public airport serving Humera, a town in the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. The name of the city and airport may also be transliterated as Himera or Himora. Humera Airport is located at , which is southeast of Humera ...

. Although it wasn't operational due to a border dispute, on 26 July 2009 after three years of construction by the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise, the airport was officially reopened. A runway three kilometers long and 45 meters wide was constructed, capable of handling present-day aircraft including

Antonov 124 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (; ; NATO reporting name: Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union (USSR). The An-124 is the w ...

s."Ethiopia inaugurates international airport at Humera"
,

Ethiopian News Agency The Ethiopian News Agency ( ''Ye-Ityopya Zéna Agelgelot'' (IZA) or ENA) is the official news agency of the government of Ethiopia. It is the oldest news organisation in Ethiopia. History and Activities Established in 1942 as a national wire n ...

26 July 2009 (retrieved 1 November 2009) The airport was opened at the cost of 182 million birr. Ethiopian Airlines serves the airport with destinations to

and

. The opening of the airport was aimed at increasing the agricultural sector in the region as well as providing commercial air service in Humera.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{Cite news , last=Latif Dahir , first=Abdi , date=9 December 2020 , title=Fleeing Ethiopians Tell of Ethnic Massacres in Tigray War , work=

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-sudan.html , url-status=live , access-date=9 December 2020 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201209211852/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-sudan.html , archive-date=9 December 2020 {{Cite news , last=Brown , first=Will , date=23 November 2020 , title=After the bombs they attacked with knives, claim Ethiopians fleeing peace prize winner's war , work=The

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/23/ethiopia-unleashes-bombing-knife-wielding-militias-civilians/ , url-status=live , access-date=24 November 2020 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201124141619/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/23/ethiopia-unleashes-bombing-knife-wielding-militias-civilians/ , archive-date=24 November 2020 {{Cite news , last=Akinwotu , first=Emmanuel , date=2 December 2020 , title='I saw people dying on the road': Tigray's traumatised war refugees , work=

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/02/tigray-war-refugees-ethiopia-sudan , url-status=live , access-date=2 December 2020 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20201202185821/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/02/tigray-war-refugees-ethiopia-sudan , archive-date=2 December 2020 Eritrea–Ethiopia border crossings Populated places in the Tigray Region