Eastern Ethiopia is a predominantly Muslim part of the country. Administratively, it contains the region of Somali, home to much of Ethiopia's ethnically Somali population and in which a borderline war between the Ethiopian government and the Ogaden guerrilla movement has been on-going; the independent cities of Dire Dawa and Harar; the eastern parts of Oromia; and the southern parts of Afar.
Historically, the region is comprised of Hararghe (named after the city of Harar) and the Ogaden.
Aba Tenna D. Yilma International Airport (IATA: DIR) in Dire Dawa has international flights from Djibouti and domestic flights from Addis Ababa and Gode in the Somali Region.
The conflict in Somali is one of the most under-publicized humanitarian disasters in the modern day, and travellers should keep their distance from the Ogaden Desert.