The Karrayu are transhumant pastoralists who inhabit the Metehara Plain and the surroundings of Mount Fentale, in the Upper Awash River Basin . The area is located in the eastern half of East Shewa Zone, Oromia Region. In the current national administrative structure, Karrayuland comes entirely within Fentale District which borders with the Afar Region. The area lies at an altitude of not more than 1,000 meters above sea level, falling to 950 meters at Metehara Plain and rising as high as 2,007 meters at Mount Fentale, which is the highest elevation in the region. The neighbors of the Karrayu are the Afar in the North, the Arsi Oromo in the South, the Ittu in the East, and the Argoba in the West (See the map). The language of the Karrayu is Oromiffa, the dialect that they speak with distinct linguistic characteristics of East Cushitic languages. According to the 1994 national census, the size of population is reported to be 55,853, which figure includes both local Karrayu inhabitants and Ittu migrants who have come to live here over the last forty years. However, given the high population growth rate of the country, estimated at 3.1%, the above-cited statistic is projected to have risen significantly, which can only be ascertained after the release of the results of the census undertaken in 2007.
Karrayu way of life has predominantly been nomadic pastoralism, which is heavily dependent on environmental resources whose availability is determined by temporal and spatial variables. Since the beginning of the second half of the 20th century in particular, the Karrayu, like other pastoral communities in the Awash Valley Region, have increasingly been affected by commercial farm expansion and wildlife conservation schemes. The process of expropriating the rangelands for the aforementioned purposes has therefore thrown the pastoral livelihood system of the community into unabated crisis.
Due to intensifying competition over dwindling life-sustaining environmental resources, various nomadic pastoral groups inhabiting the Awash flood plain frequently clash with one another, as they seek out the best grazing lands and water points. The Karrayu too had problems with some of their neighbors while they were at peace with others. The Afar and Arsi Oromo, for instance, have been traditional enemies of the Karrayu, Ittu and Issa Somali. On the other hand, the Karrayu have enjoyed peaceful relationships with Ittu and Issa Somali mainly as a result of their goal of solidarity against their common enemies, the Afar and Arsi Oromo. The Issa Somali for their part are said to have acted as go-between in the supply of firearms and ammunition to the Karrayu and Ittu. The Karrayu are also in conflict with the Argoba agro-pastoralists. The Ittu have historically been good friends with the Karrayu, their peaceful and harmonious relationships being further strengthened by closer links through intermarriages and mutual alliances against their common enemies. This exploratory study aims to investigate the inter-group relationships of the Karrayu with their immediate neighbors, with primary focus on the dynamics of the resource-based conflicts, the role of pastoral youths in the drama, and the consequent small arms proliferation in the region. With a view to broadening the understanding of the interface between the various dimensions of the study issue, an in-depth review of the historical backdrop against which the conflict scenarios unfolded has been conducted. By so doing, efforts have been made to provide fresh insights into the intricate links between conflict, the role of pastoral youths, and small arms proliferation in the context of a continually shrinking environmental space in the study area.
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