#Gadmaytu

Gadmaytu is initially established as food aid storage and distribution centre during 1970s. Road construction camps were also set up there. Like any other truck-stop sites, the Derg dismantled Gadmaytu in 1974 and 1989.
Similarly the Agazzi special commandos launched operation to crack down contrabandists’ chain in Gadmaytu on 1st March 2008. However, Gadmaytu is today revived and even become one of the most known contraband centers within the country.

Gadmaytu that is recognized as kebele under Amibera Wereda literally means #foxes in Afar language that indicates presence of too many foxes in the past around this area.

Nowadays, recently migrated Issa/Somalis are the predominant inhabitants of the town that renamed as Garabaciise by the Somalis to mean „shoulder of Issa“. In fact from the boundary demarcated during the Imperial era between the Afar and Issa/Somali people, #Erer River, United Somalis penetrated deep in to Afar areas over 137kms in the direction of Gadmaytu(Erer-35 km-Aydora-27km- Asbuli-40km- Mulu Gelalu-35km-Gadmaytu).

As claimed by the Somalis the migration is a pure pastoralists movement in search of water and grass‘. However, its well known that there is no sustainable water points in the surroundings so the settlers are depend entirely on privately owned birkeds (cemented underground water tanks) filled with water used to be brought from Awash Arba ( km away).

Actually it seems the potential contraband trade routes that could attract „pastoralists “who settle permanently in a place where there is no water. Thus the Derg completely destroyed the Gedmaytu contraband center and decided a buffer-zone that obliged Issa/Somalis to stay 30km away before reaching to the east of the main Addis-Assab/Djibouti road.

After the arrival of EPRDF(TPLF) in early 1990s, the Derg‘s buffer-zone decision is breached and any Somalis are allowed to set up their settlements within 6km distance away from the road. Later on as a response to the appeal of Issa/Somali elders to the Prime Minister, as told by informants, they are allowed to construct houses in Gadmaytu where there was no single house till mid 1990s.

Afars who claimed to migrate all the way from coastal areas like #Berbera, #Zayla, #Harar ,#Dire Dawa, #Erer, #Afdem and surroundings seems to have no chance even to co-exist with thier late arrival neighbors in Gadmaytu. It is a recent history for Afars to remind the income they had been generated from Issa/Somali herders for using water of the Waruf River around Obno (Ethio-Djibouti border).


Today Issa/Somali moved from Erer area With support of italians, ziyad barre and djibouti governments and pushed the Afars away and controlled localities like #Gota, #Bike, #karaaba, #Afdam, #Mullu, #Mulhuli, #Mero, #Meiso, surroundings of Asebot Mountain, #Mefaydella, Kaho and reached to Gadmaytu. 

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#Source..Yassin.M. Research.