Kebri Dahar is a town in the eastern part of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 known as the Ogaden

Ogaden

Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...

. Located in the Korahe Zone

Korahe Zone

Korahe is one of nine Zones of the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Korahe is bordered on the south and west by Gode, on the north by Degehabur, and on the east by Werder...

 of the Somali Region

Somali Region

Somali Region ; is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of the same name. The capital of Somali State is Jijiga...

, this town has a latitude and longitude of 6°44′N 44°16′E and an elevation of 493 meters above sea level. Kebri Dahar is served by Kabri Dar Airport

Kabri Dar Airport

Kabri Dar Airport is an airport in Kebri Dahar, Ethiopia . Located at an elevation of 549 meters above sea level, this airport has one unpaved runway 1800 meters long.-Accidents and incidents:...

 (ICAO code HAKD, IATA: ABK).

History

The earliest mention of Kebri Dahar is in 1931, when it was described as "a soldier's camp" that suffered from malaria

Malaria

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...

; although the settlement was 500 meters above the river, the scrub between the two had not been cleared and provided the mosquitos sufficient cover to reach their victims. According to Margery Perham, prior to the Italo-Abyssinian War

Italo-Abyssinian War

Two conflicts between Italy and Ethiopia are known as the Italo-Abyssinian War:* The First Italo-Abyssinian War of 1895–1896 resulted in a victory for the Ethiopians and internation recognition of their empire by the great powers of the time.* The Second Italo-Abyssinian War of...

, the Italians established a garrison at Kebri Dahar.

A hospital for the town was under construction in 1958, when Emperor Haile Selassie inspected it during a tour of the Ogaden

Ogaden

Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...

. In 1966 a road was built connecting Kebri Dahar and the new town of Gode

Gode

Gode is a city in the Ethiopian part of the Ogaden. Located in the Gode Zone of the Somali Region, the city has a latitude and longitude of...

. The Ethiopian Road Authority announced a construction project to connect Kebri Dahar with neighboring towns. One road, to include 113.5 kilometers of paved road and five bridges will connect Kebri Dahar with Shekosh, while a second, which will include the creation of 95 kilometers of paved road and construction of six large and medium bridges, will connect the town to Danan

Danan, Ethiopia

Danan is a town in the eastern part of Ethiopia known as the Ogaden. Located in the Gode Zone of the Somali Region , and it is located the main road between Gode and Kebri Dahar the nearest towns with electricity. This town has a latitude and longitude of .Danan has a camp for refugees and...

.

During the Ogaden War

Ogaden War

The Ogaden War was a conventional conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977 and 1978 over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances, the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been...

, Kebri Dahar was defended by the Ethiopian Ninth Brigade against the Somali Army before abandoning it in disarray and Somali army capturing it thereafter. It was recpatured by the Ethiopian Third Paracommando Brigade 8 March 1978.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency

Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)

The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...

 in 2005, Kebri Dahar has an estimated total population of 36,191 of whom 19,327 are men and 16,864 are women. The 1997 census reported this town had a total population of 24,263 of whom 12,768 were men and 11,495 women. The two largest ethnic groups reported in this town were the Somali

Somali people

Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...

 (89.02%), and the Amhara

Amhara people

Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...

 (2.58%); all other ethnic groups made up 8.4% of the population.
It is the largest settlement in Kebri Dahar

Kebri Dahar (woreda)

Kebri Dahar is one of the 47 woredas in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Korahe Zone, Kebri Dar is bordered on the south by Debeweyin, on the west by the Gode Zone, on the northwest by the Degehabur Zone, on the north by Shekosh, on the east by the Werder Zone, and on the southeast by...

 woreda

Woreda

Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...

.