Editing Somali Region (section)

== Overview ==
What is now the Somali Region was part of the [[Menelik II's conquests|conquests]] of [[Menelik II]] in the late 19th century. 

The Somali Region formed a large part of the pre-1995 provinces of [[Hararghe]], [[Bale Province, Ethiopia|Bale]] and [[Sidamo Province|Sidamo]]. The population is predominantly [[Somali (ethnicity)|Somali]], and there have been attempts to incorporate the area into a [[Greater Somalia]]. In the 1977, Somalia invaded Ethiopia, igniting the [[Ogaden War]], which Somalia lost due to timely military intervention from the [[Soviet Union]] and its ally [[Cuba]]. Despite this defeat, local groups still tried either to become part of Somalia or independent.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}<ref>{{Cite journal |title=CIA, Talking Points on Soviet/Cuban Involvement in Ethiopia, March 17, 1978, Secret. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/ejb9789004244627.b09073 |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Cold War Intelligence|doi=10.1163/ejb9789004244627.b09073 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The 2007 [[Abole oil field raid]], in which 72 Chinese and Ethiopian oilfield workers were killed, has led to a [[2007–2008 Ethiopian crackdown in Ogaden|series of military reprisals]] against the rebel group ONLF [[Ogaden National Liberation Front]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Until its first-ever district elections in February 2004, Zonal and [[woreda]] administrators and village chairmen were appointed by the Regional government. Senior politicians at the Regional level nominated their clients to the local government positions. In the 2004 local elections, each woreda elected a council including a spokesman, vice-spokesman, administrator, and vice-administrator. These councils have the responsibility of managing budgets and development activities within their respective districts.<ref>Tobias Hagmann, Mohamud H. Khalif: [http://tobiashagmann.freeflux.net/files/media/publications/non-refereed/hagmann_mhk_bildhaan-2006.pdf "State and Politics in Ethiopia's Somali region since 1991", ''Bildhaan: the International Journal of Somali Studies''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831063758/http://tobiashagmann.freeflux.net/files/media/publications/non-refereed/hagmann_mhk_bildhaan-2006.pdf |date=2011-08-31 }}, 6 (2006), p. 33</ref>