ROAD CONDITIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500540096-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 17, 2001
• Sequence Number: 96
• Publication Date: June 25, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

_bic.j si-0
A~proved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500540096-4
U.S. Off Icitla Only
CONIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Ethiopia/Somaliland
SUBJECT Road Conditions
25X1A
PLACE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
25X1A
t
COO NO.
00/C NO.
ORR NO.
1. In all the area over which I traveled in Ethiopia and Somalia, I
found no roads which could be classed as first-class on a point-to-
point basis. There are some stretches of paved road just outside
some of the pr1.ncipal towns which are in fairly good repair, but
even these must be traveled with caution since one is never sure
when he. might come unexpectly to a hole in the hard surfacing which
would wreck an auto or truck. The paving, such as it is, is rough
concrete laid by the Italians a~ the time of their conquest of
Ethiopia, and not maintained since they left. Boles are patched by
dumping crushed rock into them, instead of by pouring in new con-
crete. The greater portion of the highway mileage is natural dirt,
sometimes gravelled, but mostly sandy soil. The Italians also had
built a number of good bridges over the streams crossed by principal
roads, but practically all of these have been demolished either by the
elements or by damage during military operations. They have been re-
pl.lced by wooden bridges which we consider unsafe for weights as low
as two tons.
SEE LAST PA;Zi rC,; & AREA CODES
U.S. Officials On'y
CONb'I1ENTlAL
pI'STRIEUTION STATE ARMY N FDI ~_
This report la for the use within the USA of the Intelligence con'.ponenta of the Departraente or
enci fr. ed alw e t ,,ig not to be transmitted overeeaa without the concurrence of the
AppEA ra' E Q1 1~9dflO hC ,R& Ba @OMAO,OO of) %44Diasemination. CIA.
 Approved For Release 2001/04q "4&M9A000500540096-4
CcuYF'TDM.UL/vs OFFICIALS OM
2 _
25X1A
2. Most of the material, machinery and equipment used in the exploration
operations with which. I am F"-:iliar w*s fog rly laid down by ships
at the British Somalil..und port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden, and
moved in to the scene of operations by truck. The road from Berbera
to Hargeisa, a distance of 110 stiles, varies with the weather to the
extent that it is possible to make the trip in about five days most
of the time, but becomes impassable in wet weather. Most of it is
natural road and most of the waterways are not bridged. From Hargeisa,
south to Axwreh, a distance of 135 kilometers, there are a few stretches
o. bard surfaced road, but it is not maintained at all, and we have
found it impcssible to use it. We just drive alongside it and make
better time. This stretch may be traveled in two hours in good weather,
but it takes from 10 to 12 hours in wet weather.
3. The road from Auareh to Uardere is mostly natural dirt with a very few
remaining stretches of hard surfacing so short and poorly maintained
that they are of little help. In addition, such bridges as there are
are not safe with load. of more than two tons, and we simply turn off
the road and hunt a place to ford the dry washes. Around Dlk on this
road, almost midway between Auareh and Uardere, the entire countryside
floods out in the rainy season, and it is impossible to move equipment.
The British have a small outpost and radio contact station at Dik.
4. Going eastward from Uardere to Galardi the road is simply a sand track
with no surfacing of any kind. It can be traveled most of the time
with four-wheel drive vehicles equipped with sand tires. Even this
traffic is stopped by wet weather.
5. The road southward from Uardere toward Belet Uen by way of Scillave is
the same type encmuntered south of Auareh, with intermittent short
stretches of hard surfacing and no dependable bridges. The portion
from erfer on the Italian Somaliland border to Belet Uei is s'i faced
all the way. It is in bad condition, but better than most. From
Ferfer, northwest toward Call.afo, the section of road as far as
Mustahil is surfaced but in poor condition and has some particularly
had stretches. around Mustahil itself and at Sulsul. The remainder
of the road on to Callafo is natural road, and is passable most of
the time in dry weather.
6. In British Somal:iltand the road from Hargeiaa to Jibuti is passable
most of the time but at very slow speeds. It tastes a really hard
driver to make it in a pickup truck, but fleets of other trucks, with
four-wheel drive, can usually make it, although it may take as much
as two weeks. It is all natural road, and here again the rainy season
may stop traffic completely.
7. Cuing west from Hargeisa toward Ilarar and Addis Ababa, the portion of
-the road as far as the turn at Dureda Abdille is always passable except
trader extreme bad weather conditions, but at that point the road gets
out of sandy soil areas until just bv~f re Tug Wajale. This muddy
stretch is absolutely impassable im (~tv Uer, but the remainder of
t; c route to Giggiga can be traveled at time, although it wi2.1 be
necessary in many cases to turn off the road into the brush to detour
around the worst places. the ?road from Giggiga to Harar and on to
Dire Daua was hard surfaced with concrete by the Italians and onlyt!
recently have attempts at maintenance been revived. This road is
passable at all times. Yeax-round operations have now shown that
it is more efficient to have equipment brought down the railroad
from Jibuti to Dire Daum and then trucked in over the route via
Harar, Giggiga, Hargeisa, and Uardere.
CONFIDENTIM,/US OYFICIAL$ UNIX
Approved For Release 2001/04/10 IIiOOO5OO54OO96-4
 Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : C~I~ X00500540096-4
cc1wr x T AL/v8 omcxUa ONLY 25X1 A
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8. The best road I found in Ethiopia was between Dire Daua and Addis Ababa,
all concrete, with the better portion of that being Auaoc and Addis
Ababa. 'Thee Italians had built good bridges and it inusi, have been a
very good road at one time. Naintenanca is still poor, with holes in
the concrete which axe interaiitt--utly filled with crushed rock, and
the bridges are all gone, replace' by wooden structures. The road
is passable in all but the most eatseme conditions of weather, but
at aaly tilae 1 ?9,s better to have a four-wheel drive vehicle to get
by the woret places.
9. I have noted. on the map of the Addis Abat;a area that symbols in
reference to air transportation indicate that the landing grounds
at Auasc and at Dessie are abandoned. Actually, both of these
landing fields are used regularly by the Ethiopian Airlines. The
Aussc _field Is used regularly by the two Convairs operated-by the
4l ne,c had there are regufiAr shuttle flights by DC-3 planes from
AAddis. Ababa to connect at that point because the other planes cannot
take off with full payload from the eight thousand-foot-high airport
at Addis Ababa.
LIBRARY SU1 JECT & AREA CODES
7511.22 120'
7514.22 32e'
7514.8 325
7514.8 2N'
7514.5 12d
75'?4.5 320'
757 A 32e1
co M IRL/U3 3FFIC IAI8 O LY
Approved For Release 2001/04/10: CIi04100540096-4