Abba Magal

Abba Magal (c.1800) was a leader of the Diggo Oromo, and the father of Abba Jifar I.

Previously, the Diggo, based in the area of Mana, had conquered the nearby village of Hirmata that was home of the Lalo people; this victory gave him enough wealth to compete with the dominant Oromo tribe in Jimma, the Badi of Saqqa. With the help of his four sons, he began a series of wars that led to the formation of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma. [Herbert S. Lewis, "A Galla Monarchy: Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia" (Madison, Wisconsin, 1965), p. 39.]

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