Metekel Zone

Map of the regions and zones of Ethiopia

Metekel is located in Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, named after the former Metekkel province. It is bordered on the south and southwest by Kamashi, on the west by Sudan, and on the north and east by the Amhara Region. The Abay River defines the Zone's boundaries with Kamashi, while the Dinder River defines part of its boundary with the Amhara Region.

The administrative center of Metekel Zone is Gilgil Beles; other towns include Manbuk. The highest point is Mount Belaya (3,131 meters), which is part of the Dangur range.

MIDROC Gold reported in 2009 that it was exploring the Zone for gold deposits.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 276,367, of whom 139,119 are men and 137,248 women. 37,615 or 13.61% of population are urban inhabitants. A total of 58,515 households were counted in this Zone, which results in an average of 4.72 persons to a household, and 56,734 housing units. The five largest ethnic groups reported in the Metekel Zone were the Gumuz (36.78%), the Shinasha (21.6%), the Amhara (22.39%), the Awi (11.33%), a subgroup of the Agew, and the Oromo (11.09%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.81% of the population. Main languages are the Gumuz (36.31%), Amharic (16.21%), Oromo (18.89%), Shinasha (12.81%) and Awngi (10.91%). Approximately a quarter of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 25.49% of the population reporting that they held that belief, while 30.31% were Muslim, 17.65% observed traditional religions, and 25.36% were Protestant.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this zone has an estimated total population of 225,284, of whom 111,986 were males and 113,299 were females; 24,147 or 10.72% of its population are urban dwellers. With an estimated area of 26,272.38 square kilometers, Metekel has an estimated population density of 8.57 people per square kilometer.

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 201,521 in 45,114 households, of whom 101,134 were males and 100,387 were females; 19,607 or 7.82% of its population were urban dwellers. The five largest ethnic groups reported in the Metekel Zone were the Gumuz (33%), the Amhara (16%), the Awi (21.4%), the Shinasa (16%), and the Oromo People (7.6%), a subgroup of the Agew. Amhara is spoken as a first language by 24% and as a second language by another 10%. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 53.5% of the population reporting that they held that belief, while 21% observed traditional religions, 18.6% were Muslim, and 4.4% were either Protestant or Catholic.

According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 8% of the inhabitants of Metekel have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 28.4 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, the average rural household has 1.4 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 2.25 for pastoral Regions) and the equivalent of 0.6 heads of livestock. 10% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and an average of 28% for pastoral Regions. 93% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 25% in secondary schools. 68% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and 100% to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 433.

The Metekel conflict began in 2019. A massacre occurred on 23 December 2020.