Mieso
Encyclopedia
Mieso is a town in eastern 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...
. Located in the Mirab Hararghe Zone
Mirab Hararghe Zone
Mirab Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Mirab Hararghe takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Mirab Harerge is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the southwest by Arsi, on the northwest by the Afar Region, on...
of the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, it has a latitude and longitude of 9°14′N 40°45′E with an elevation of 1394 meters above sea level.
Overview
A road was constructed connecting the town with the railroad station at Asebe TeferiAsebe Teferi
Asebe Teferi is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Amhar Mountains, it has a latitude and longitude of and an altitude of 1826 meters above sea level...
in the 1930s. By the 1930s, Mieso was the most important railway stations
Railway stations in Ethiopia
All railway stations in Ethiopia are served by the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway. These include:- Now defunct : Addis Ababa - national capital* Akaka Beseka* Debre Zeyit * Mojo...
of the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway between Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia . This chartered city is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura....
and Awash
Awash
Awash is a market town in central Ethiopia. Located in Administrative Zone 3 of the Afar Region, above a gorge on the Awash River, after which the town is named, the town lies on the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway, which crosses the gorge by a bridge there...
. Mobile telephone service was introduced to Mieso May 2009.
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, this town has an estimated total population of 10,328 of whom 5,342 were males and 4,986 were females. The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 5,769 of whom 2,897 were males and 2,872 were females. It is one of five towns in Mieso
Mieso, Oromia (woreda)
Mieso is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mirab Hararghe Zone, Mieso is bordered on the south by Guba Koricha, on the west by the Afar Region, on the north by the Somali Region, on the east by Doba and on the southeast by Chiro...
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...
.
History
One of the earliest mentions of Mieso was in 1907, when the German delegation of Friedrich RosenFriedrich Rosen
Friedrich Rosen or Fritz Rosen was a German Orientalist, diplomat and politician...
passed Mieso that year on their way to the coast. Near Mieso was where Lij Iyasu
Iyasu V of Ethiopia
Iyasu V , also known as Lij Iyasu was the designated but uncrowned Emperor of Ethiopia . His baptismal name was Kifle Yaqob...
and his troops, returning to Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
to deal with the coup that cost him his throne, were defeated in October 1916 by an army led by half a dozen Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
n notables and driven back.
During the Italian occupation
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
, a mosque was built for local Muslim community.
The Addis Tribune reported 5 January 2001 that 13 people died and 19 sustained light injuries when a train heading to Addis Ababa derailed
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
and overturned near Mieso a few days prior on New Year's Eve. The train reportedly separated into three parts. A number of persons were travelling illegally on the train's freight compartments when the accident occurred.
Numerous conflicts between the local Oromos
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
and Somalis
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...
in Mieso followed the October 2004 referendum to establish the disputed boundary between the Oromia and 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...
s; 2,500 people displaced from their homes in December 2004 had sought refuge at Mieso. NGOs working in the area reported conflicts as late as 14 July 2005.