Zalambessa

Zalambessa (Ge'ez: ዛላአንበሳ) is a town located on the Ethiopian border. Zalambessa is part of the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region. It is about 42 kilometers north of Adigrat. The Serha-Zalambesa border crossing is located in the town.

Zalambessa

ዛላኣንበሳ
Zalambessa
Location
Zalambessa
Zalambessa (Eritrea)
Coordinates: 14°31′33″N 39°23′9″E
Country Ethiopia
Region Tigray
ZoneMisraqawi (Eastern)
WoredaGulomkada
Population
 (2005)
 • Total10,551
Time zoneUTC+03:00

History

Origins

Zalambessa was a village that was fortified by Italian colonial forces.

20th Century

The fortifications were taken over by the Ethiopian military in 1952 when Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia. The older village (Tsorona) remained under Eritrean Administration and the exact border became an issue before and during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War (1998–2000).[1] After the war, the town was in ruins.[2]

21st Century

In 2000, Eritrea and Ethiopia signed the Algiers Agreement (2000) which forwarded the border dispute to a Hague boundary commission. In the Agreement both parties agreed in advance to comply with the ruling of the Border Commission. In 2002, the commission ruling, reconfirmed and made more precise in their final ruling effective November 2007, placed Tsorona inside Eritrean territory, and Zalambessa inside Ethiopian territory.

According to the Eritrean Information Ministry, Ethiopian Forces crossed the border early on New Years Day 2010, and engaged in a fierce battle with Eritrean troops before quickly withdrawing back over the border, after having 10 soldiers killed and 2 taken prisoner. Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon denied that any armed incursion had taken place.[3]

During the 2020-2021 Tigray War, a massacre was carried out in Zalambessa by the joint Ethiopian and Eritrean armies. On 18 December 2020, an EEPA report stated that four named priests and three civilians were killed by troops (reportedly ENDF and Eritrean Defence Forces, EDF) in Zalambessa.[4] Jan Nyssen stated that the EDF killed 59 civilians in their houses in Zalambessa on 18 December.[5] On 19 December 2020, a foreign diplomat stated that "thousands" of Eritrean soldiers were engaged in Tigray. Two diplomats stated that Eritrean troops entered Ethiopia through three northern border towns: Zalambessa, Rama and Badme.[6]

Economy

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah announced in July 2009, during a 3-day visit to Ethiopia, that his country would provide a $63 million loan to Ethiopia, part of which would be used to build a road between Wukro and Zalambessa.[7]

On 11 September 2018, the Serha-Zalambesa border crossing of Eritrea-Ethiopia border reopens for the first time since 1998.[8]

Demographics

Based on figures from Ethiopia the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia released in 2005, Zalambessa has an estimated total population of 10,551, of whom 5,176 are men and 5,375 are women.[9] The 1994 census reported it had a total population of 6,059 of whom 2,756 were males and 3,303 were females. It is not clear whether these census figures cover the entire area.

Economy

The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia re-opened its Zalambessa Branch in on 12 February, 2009.[10]

References
  1. Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.
  2. Last, Alex (26 May 2000). "Eritrea's 'tactical retreat'". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. "Eritrea says 10 Ethiopian troop killed". Television New Zealand. Reuters. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  4. Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 30 - 19 December Europe External Programme with Africa
  5. Nyssen, Jan (2021). "The situation in Tigray at the beginning of 2021". Researchgate. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  6. Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 31 - 20 December Europe External Programme with Africa
  7. "Kuwait Loans Ethiopia EUR45 Million For Electricity, Roads - Report", Addis Live website, 21 July 2009 (accessed 19 August 2009)
  8. Ahmed, Hadra (11 September 2018). "Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Opens for First Time in 20 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  9. CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
  10. "CBE has opened its 206th branch and reopened its Zala-Anbessa Branch". ENP Newswire. 30 April 2009.
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