Surma is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named for the Surma people, whose homeland lies in this woreda. Part of the Bench Maji Zone, Surma is bordered on the south and west by South Sudan, on the northwest by the Gambela Region, on the north by Bero, and on the east by Maji. A portion of the Omo National Park extends into the southern part of this woreda.
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Overview
The average elevation in this woreda is 2088 meters above sea level. Rivers include the Kaia River, a tributary of the Akobo, which has its origins in this woreda. High points include Mount Naita (2560 meters) on the Ethiopian-South Sudanese border. According to a 2004 report, Surma had 26 kilometers of dry-weather roads, for an average road density of 5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. This lack of roads means remote locations are accessible only by air. Moreover, there is no radio communication available in this woreda. As of 2008, about 30% of the total population of Surma has access to drinking water.
On 29 September 2003, violence erupted between Surma and Anuak people following the killing of an Anuak woman by Surma men. The next day armed Anuak tribesmen shot and killed 20 Surma who were mining for gold in Naymei kebele. It remained unclear at year's end whether the government made any response to these incidents.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA, this woreda has a total population of 24,598, of whom 11,794 are men and 12,804 women; 914 or 3.72% of its population are urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants practiced traditional beliefs, with 96.25% of the population reporting that belief, 1.63% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.59% were Protestants.
In the 1994 national census Surma had a population of 23,773, of whom 12,925 were men and 10,848 women; the census identified no urban inhabitants. (This total also includes an estimate for the inhabitants of 5 rural kebeles, which were not counted; they were estimated to have 3,201 inhabitants, of whom 2,438 were men and 763 women.) The three largest ethnic groups reported in this woreda were the Surma people (93.79%), the Dizi (3.09%), and the Amhara (1.71%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.41% of the population. Suri was spoken as a first language by 94.02% of the inhabitants, 2.9% spoke Dizin, and 2.01% spoke Amharic; the remaining 1.07% spoke all other primary languages reported. Concerning education, 43.65% of the population were considered literate; 33.59% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 15.31% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and 12.5% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions, about 70% of the urban and 16% of the total had toilet facilities.