Fiche

History

Ras Kassa Haile Darge ruled the former province of Selale from Fiche in the early 20th century. The deposed Lij Iyasu was imprisoned in Ras Kassa's house until he escaped in 1931. In 1936, after Ras Hailu Tekle Haymanot convinced them to surrender at the beginning of the Italian Occupation, Ras Kassa's two sons Aberra and Asfawossen were executed in Fiche. W.E.D. Allen passed through Fiche in 1941, and describes the town as having "the usual character of Abyssinian country towns: an agglomeration of huts standing in rather dreary eucalyptus groves and dominated by a fort and the European villa of the Ras." He also noted that "Fiche has a certain strategic importance in the feudal politics of Abyssinia since it lies across the main line of communication between the capital and Gojjam; and in the period of coup d'etats in the '20s the lord of Salale was always in the position to intervene suddenly in the capital only 70 miles away." The municipality announced in February 2009 that it had begun various development works totaling 5.6 million birr, which included construction of alleys, ditches, an abattoir, and expansion of water, health and electric power services.

Most recent

• M 4.4 — 2025-01-23
  12 km WSW of Debre Birhan, Ethiopia