A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD

2.2) A brief view on Ethiopian administrative units through Limu region evolutions
Previously zones were provinces including awarajas in which were found the already
existing woredas, the smallest administrative units. Up to mid-DERG 18
, there were six
awarajas under Kaffa province:
- Limu awaraja including four woredas: Limu Kosa, Limu Seka, Goma, Gera;
- Jima awaraja including six woredas;
- Kullo Konta awaraja including six woredas;
- Kaffa awaraja (now Kafetcho zone) including ten woredas;
- Gimira awaraja including three woredas;
- Magi awaraja including nine woredas.
Totally, Kaffa province covered thirty-eight woredas grouped into six awarajas, and
Jima was the capital of the province. There were up to ten woredas by awaraja.
Before DERG ended, during three to four years, woredas were abolished and
disappeared, becoming new awarajas or getting included in new awarajas. At most, a single
new awaraja included two woredas. These awarajas were parts of administrative regions.
Kaffa province split and got distributed into:
- Kaffa administrative region: Magi, Gimira and Kaffa ex-awarajas;
- North Omo administrative region: Kullo Konta ex-awaraja;
- Ilubabor administrative region: Jima and Limu ex-awarajas.
Limu Kosa and Limu Seka woredas became two new awarajas with Genet (or Limu
Genet) and Atnago as respective capitals. Goma and Gera woredas became a single awaraja
with capital Agaro. From four woredas belonging to a single awaraja, they became three new
awarajas. The DERG regime created new administrative units called kebele suffering
comparison with soviets. These kebele, named farmers’ or peasants’ associations in rural
areas, divided the new awarajas into many units and still organize the country as the smallest
administrative units.
18 DERG means the military regime lead by Colonel Haile Maryam Mengistu from 1974 to 1991.
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