Chelenqo Explained

Chelenqo is a town in eastern Ethiopia located in the Oromia region a few km west of Harar.^{[1] [2]}

History

The town is linked to the Middle Ages during the reign of the Makhzumi dynasty as engravings in the area date back to the 13th century.^[3] Chelenqo is also part of an ancient bartering route in the region which consists of livestock vendors.^[4]

In 1887 the Battle of Chelenqo took place between the Emirate of Harar and the Abyssinian state of Shewa following the latter's invasion.^[5] Skeletal remains belonging to the fallen soldiers of Harar Amir Abdullahi II were visible in Chelenqo until recently.^[6] In the neighboring Harari Regional State "the Chelenqo Martyrs" day is observed based on this conflict.^[7]

French writer Hugues Le Roux upon visiting Chelenqo in the early 1900s, described it as possessing spectacular cornfields encircled by mountains.^[8]

In 2018, sixteen peaceful Oromo protestors were gunned down by Ethiopian National Defense Force in Chelenqo which forced the Oromia president Lemma Megersa to criticize the federal governments actions.^[9]

References

9.3981°N 41.5608°W

Notes and References

1. Book: Ficquet . Éloi . Ḥabeš Siyāḥatnāmesi: The Journey of al-Mu'ayyad al-'Azm in Ethiopia (1904) . Centre français des études éthiopiennes .
2. Mohammed . Asmea . Distribution and association of common leaf rust (Puccinia sorghi Schwein) and turcicum leaf blight [Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.)] of Maize (Zea mays L.) with biophysical factors in Eastern Ethiopia ]. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment . 2023 . 6 . 3 . Haramaya University . 10.1002/agg2.20407 . free .
3. Book: GIANFRANCESCO . LUSINI . LINGUE DI CRISTIANI E LINGUE DI MUSULMANI D'ETIOPIA . EDIZIONI DI STORIA E LETTERATURA . 136 .
4. Book: Problemi attuali di scienza e di cultura quaderno . 1947 . Accademia nazionale dei Lincei . 730 .
5. Book: Tibebu . Teshale . The Making of Modern Ethiopia 1896-1974 . 1995 . Red Sea Press . 43 . 978-1-56902-001-2 .
6. Book: Chelenqo . Encyclopedia Aethiopica .
7. Book: Fombad . Charles . Constitutional Identity and Constitutionalism in Africa . 2024 . Oxford University Press . 128 . 978-0-19-890630-8 .
8. Book: Lindahl . Bernhard . Local History of Ethiopia . Nordic Africa Institute . 9 .
9. Ethiopia – Ethnic Violence Out of Control . Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series . 2018 . 54 . 12 . Wiley-Blackwell . 10.1111/j.1467-825X.2018.08035.x .