Negele

History

The town of Negele Borana was founded in the early 20th century; the Swedish doctor F. Hylander described it in 1934 as an "Amhara new settlement and fortress with palisades", which was "the farthest outpost towards Jubbaland". The town was occupied by the British Gold Coast Brigade on 27 March 1941, who had pushed north from Dolo. The British colonial unit found that the Italians had abandoned the settlement 10 days before they arrived, and in the time between the buildings had been looted and destroyed by the neighboring Borena Oromo. The Norwegian Lutheran Mission operated a station in Negele Borana from 1949. Their most important activity was to start a hospital for the town in one of the abandoned Italian buildings, which they operated until 1956 when the Ministry of Public Health took it over. In 1958, Negele Borana was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township. During the Ogaden War, the Somali Army attempted to capture Negele Borana throughout August 1977, but the local garrison was able to beat back the attacks. Rights activists in southern Oromia reported to Human Rights Watch that students, farmers, and business people had been detained in Negele Borana. As of 25 January 2010 several hundred people, mostly affiliated with the Oromo People's Congress, were said to be still incarcerated in Negele borana jail. These arrests reportedly were in response to protests about the activities of mining companies in the region, which the authorities attributed to the opposition.

Most-observed species

• Kori Bustard

  Ardeotis kori (Burchell, 1822) · Aves
  2
• Prince Ruspoli's Turaco

  Tauraco ruspolii (Salvadori, 1896) · Aves
  2
• Plain-backed Pipit

  Anthus leucophrys Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  2
• Somali Short-toed Lark

  Calandrella somalica (Sharpe, 1895) · Aves
  2
• White-crowned Starling

  Lamprotornis albicapillus (Blyth, 1855) · Aves
  2
• Yellow-necked Francolin

  Pternistis leucoscepus (G.R.Gray, 1867) · Aves
  1
• Common Quail

  Coturnix coturnix (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1
• White-bellied Go-away-bird

  Corythaixoides leucogaster (Ruppell, 1842) · Aves
  1