Semera

Semera is a new town on the Awash - Asseb highway in north-east Ethiopia, planned to replace Asaita as the new capital of the Afar Region. Located in the Administrative Zone 1, this town has a longitude and latitude of coord|11|30|N|41|12|E. One of the completed buildings is Semera Health College, which began holding classes in 2007. [ [http://www.waltainfo.com/EnNews/2007/Apr/20Apr07/27824.htm "Health coverage reaches 40 percent in Afar State"] (Walta Information Center)]

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency published in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 833, of whom 702 were males and 131 were females. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Table B.3] It is one of five towns in Dubti woreda.

History

Radio Ethiopia reported that the inaugural meeting of the Afar Regional Council was held in Semera on 20 July 1995. Six days later, the Council decided to make Semera its capital city and Amharic its temporary working language. The three top officials would be President Alimirah Hanfadhe, Vice-president Osman Ainet and Secretary Mohammed Seid; the Regional president at the time Habib Alimirah, was not present. [ [http://130.238.24.99/library/resources/dossiers/local_history_of_ethiopia/s/ORTSEK.pdf "Local History in Ethiopia"] (pdf), The Nordic Africa Institute website (last accessed 5 May 2008)]

Whether Semera should be considered "under construction" or "finished" is a matter of dispute. The third edition of "Ethiopia: the Bradt travel guide" describes Semera as consisting of "one active filling station (complete with fridge) and a cluster of modern offices and tall apartment blocks in various states of construction -- all in mad isolation from any existing settlement!" [Philip Briggs, "Ethiopia: The Bradt Travel Guide", 3rd edition (Chalfont St Peters: Bradt, 2002), p. 345] The more up-to-date Lonely Planet guide to Ethiopia has no mention of Semera being under construction, but describes the town in far more harsh language:: With its quirky mix of barracks, modern apartment blocks and soulless administrative buildings, it looks like a microscopic version of Brasilia emerging incongruously in the middle of the desert -- except that it's a completely botched attempt at creating a new town. [Matt Philips and Jean-Bernard Carillet, "Ethiopia and Eritrea", third edition (n.p.: Lonely Planet, 2006), p. 221]

Notes