Wolayita Zone


Wolayita or Wolaita is an administrative zone in Ethiopia. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Zone, on the west by the Omo River which separates it from Dawro, on the northwest by Kembata Zone and Tembaro Special Woreda, on the north by Hadiya, on the northeast by the Oromia Region, on the east by the Bilate River which separates it from Sidama Region, and on the south east by the Lake Abaya which separates it from Oromia Region. The administrative centre of Wolayita is Wolaita Sodo. Other major towns are Areka, Boditi, Tebela, Bale Hawassa, Gesuba, Gununo, Bedessa and Dimtu.
Wolayita has of all-weather roads and of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 187 kilometres per 1000 square kilometres. Its highest point is Mount Damota.

History

Before 1894

The people of Wolayta are known for their more than 50 kings within four dynasties. The kings of Wolaita got the title Kawo. The Wolayta nationality are a proud people who had a distinct, continuous, strong and independent kingdoms going back to the 13th Century and beyond to the first Millennium until 1894. The war of resistance led by the last Kawo of Wolaita, Tona Gaga, was one of the bloodiest campaigns in Menelik's whole period of expansion, which resulted in the incorporation of the Wolaita Kingdom, along with other nationalities and peoples in the South, into the Ethiopian Empire. The Wolaita's military resistance, and repulsion of Menelik’s generals, showed the strength of Wolaita's military organization and people. The Wolaita’s resistance was finally crushed, with it conquered by Ethiopia, in 1894 after the bloodiest battle led by Emperor Menelik II himself.

From 1894

Despite the centuries-old oppression, the Wolayta people have a distinct national identity, that is, the people have a language, culture, traditions, history, a psychological make-up, and a contiguous geography that define them and make them distinct from other nationalities and people in Ethiopia. The Wolayta people’s resistance and struggle against the monarchical regime for economic and political emancipation, and the anti-democratic denial of the Wolayta peoples self-governance afterwards epitomizes their enduring and uninterrupted struggle for self-determination.

Quest for statehood

During the 1991-94 Transitional Government period, the Wolayta had its own Region which was Kilil 9 but it was merged into the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region when the federation was constituted in 1995. Since, there has been public discontent and opposition members requesting autonomy were beaten, tortured, and a significant number of youths exiled.
In 1997, SEPDM tried to create WOGAGODA, merging the neighboring ethnicities with Wolayta, which ultimately would have diluted the century-old culture and emblem of the Wolayta people. That attempt saw a fierce struggle from the people and the government’s homogenizing move was finally abandoned. However, thousands were detained and hundreds were killed, and hundreds of thousands of ethnic Wolaita were forcefully displaced from Arba Minch, the then capital of North Omo Zone, which dissolved after Wolaita, Gamo Gofa and Dawro split and formed their own zonal administration between 1998 and 2000. Security forces killed at least five when the Wolayta successfully campaigned for their own zone and rejected the attempted imposition of a new composite language.
Until 2000 Wolayita was part of the North Omo Zone, and the 1994 national census counted its inhabitants as part of that zone. However friction between the various ethnic groups in North Omo, which was often blamed on the Wolayta for "ethnic chauvinism" and despite the efforts of the ruling party to emphasize the need to co-ordinate, consolidate, and unify the smaller ethnic units to achieve the "efficient use of scarce government resources", eventually led to the division of the zone in 2000, resulting in the creation of not only the Wolayita, but also the Gamo Gofa and Dawro Zones, and two special woredas.
The constitutional rights of the Wolayta people for statehood has gathered momentum in the recent years, where following widespread consultation held at all levels the proposal to establish a Wolaita Regional State was approved. During the administration of Dagato Kumbe, the Zonal Council unanimously voted to demand statehood, and consistent with the letter and spirit of the Constitution sent a formal letter on 19 December 2018 to the SNNPR Government requesting a referendum.
In August 2020 38 members of SNNPR Council who represent the Wolaita zone withdrew themselves from the region's council in protests against move to reorganize the region into four states. Wolaita zone representatives say the move didn't consider their request for separate statehood.
In May and December 2019 rallies were held in Wolaita supporting the separation of the zone from the SNNPR to become a region in its own right. A rally on 20 December 2019, oppose the failure of the regional council to send a request of the zone to become a regional state to the National Board of Election to arrange a referendum.

2023 referendum

In 2018 Wolayita have submitted a request to the SNNPR council to form their own new state. However, following the formation of Sidama regional state in June 2020, the request was not immediately dealt with. Instead the then ruling party SEPDM wanted to establish cluster regions by uniting two or more zones and special woredas. Originally, Wolayta zonal council insisted on a separate referendum and threatened a unilateral declaration of statehood. This led to a crackdown by federal security forces against the Wolayta zone leaders and activists that resulted in the arrest of several people.
On 1 August 2022 after several months passed, the Wolayita zonal council gave in by reversing its decision and agreed to join the other zones and special woredas to form one state. As result, in February, referendum was held in Wolayta and other five zones and five special woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State on statehood to determine whether Wolayta, Gamo, Gofa, South Omo, Gedeo and Konso zones and Dirashe, Amaro, Burji, Basketo and Ale special woredas will form a separate autonomous state or remain within the SNNPR.
On 20 February, the National Election Board of Ethiopia released the results of the referendum. However the official results from the Wolayita Zone were not announced at that time. According to the Board, a variety of irregularities occurred before and during the vote, largely due to strong efforts by Wolayita to establish its own regional state. As a result, the referendum in the Wolayita Zone was rerun on 19 June 2023. This second referendum differed from others held in Ethiopia, as both voter registration and voting took place on the same day. Eight days later, the results were released, officially incorporating the Wolayita Zone into the South Ethiopia Regional State.

Geography

Wolayta is one of the 16 Zonal Administrations of the Southern Region In Ethiopia, located about south of Addis Ababa. Wolayta is bordered to the northwest by Tambaro, to the east by the Bilate river—which separates it from the Arsi-Oromo area—to the south by Lake Abaya and Kucha, and to the west by the Omo River. The Gilgel Gibe III Dam, a major hydroelectric power plant built on the Omo River, boasts a capacity of 1,870 megawatts, making it the third-largest hydroelectric facility in Africa
The vegetation and climate across much of the region are shaped by its elevation, which generally ranges between 1,500 and 1,800 meters above sea level. However, five mountains in the area rise above 2,000 meters, with Mount Damota—towering at 3,000 meters —standing prominently at the center.
Through undulating hills there are no large forests except in the Sodo Zuria, and Omo river basin, which is below and a malaria zone.
In the local view, there are only two regions: the highlands Gezziya and the lowlands Garaa. In the highlands, there are streams and small rivers. Several thermal hot springs are situated around Lake Abaya, with boiling and steaming water.
The soil in Wolayta is predominantly heavy and red in color, turning brown to black during the rainy season. It possesses a sandy texture—fragile and soft when moist—but hardens like brick during dry periods, making ploughing and digging feasible only after rainfall. The soil layer is remarkably deep, averaging around 30 meters in both plains and hills, as confirmed through well drilling. Its fertility supports the cultivation of two crops annually, provided the rains are consistent.

Climate

Wolaita's climate has a bimodal rainfall pattern that lasts from March to October. The first rainy season lasts from March to May. The season lasts from July to October, with a peak in July and August. Over the last 43 years, the average annual rainfall has been. The average yearly temperature is 19.9 °C, with monthly temperatures ranging from 17.7 °C in July to 22.1 °C in February and March.
The climate is stable, with temperature variation between 24 and 30 °C during the day and 16 to 20 °C at night, all year round. The year is divided into two seasons: the wet season from June to October, and the dry season from October to June, broken in February by a short period of so-called "little rains". The average rainfall for the entire region is per year.
The dry season is marked by strong easterly winds, while the wet season brings heavy rainfall and violent storms—often lasting through the evening or night toward the end of the season. Fog frequently settles in the valleys each morning during the rainy period, dissipating with the first rays of sunlight. Both hail, which can devastate crops, and tornadoes, capable of uprooting trees, are potential hazards in both dry and wet seasons.

Demographics

Based on the 2021 population projection conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, the zone has a total population of 6,142,063. Out of the total population of the zone, females count 3,115,050 and males count 3,027,013. Wolayita has a population density of 520.8 per square kilometer.
The 2007 Census conducted by the CSA reported a total population for this Zone of 1,501,112. While 366,567 or 11.49% were urban inhabitants, a further 1,196 or 0.08% were pluralists. A total of 310,454 households were counted in the zone, which resulted in an average of 4.84 persons to a household, and 297,981 housing units. The largest ethnic group reported in the zone was the Wolayta ; all other ethnic groups made up 3.69% of the population. Wolayttattuwa was spoken as a first language by 96.82% of the inhabitants; the remaining 3.18% spoke all other primary languages reported. 51.34% were Protestants, 43.04% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 5.35% embraced Catholicism.