The Nuer Removal from Gambella and the future.

Today it seems that we have got good news that had relieved the Anyuak from terror the Nuers have inflicted on us for years. The EPDRF’s government took a radical move against Nuer immigrant who have encroached on Anyuak land and repatriated them to their place of origin. This move created a shock to the Anuak and raised a question of why this time? What went wrong between the two allies?

The street is full in the area called “Newland”. Newland is a Sudanese refugee area for those who refused to go back to south Sudan in Gambella. Most of the day it is filled with people walking to the river collecting water for cooking and daily life.

As we all know the Nuer have been causing terror among the Anyuak in the past, but it has been intensified when EPDRF took control of government 1991. During this period both government and Nuers jointly made a lot of damages to the Anyuak. In 2002, many residents, teachers, and government officials were killed in broad daylight, by armed Nuer in Itang town, in the presence of Ethiopian defense forces. Cangkwar, one of the suburbs of Gambella town, was attacked and many Anyuak were killed, their houses were dismantled and forced to leave, but no action was taken by the government. On several occasions many Anyuak were gunned down or speared and beheaded, but no investigation took place. Even when eyewitnesses came forward and testified against the culprits no arrest was made. The Anyuak statistics were falsified and many government administrative positions allocated to the Nuer, denying Anuak majority in their land. The Anyuak communities/elders submitted petitions to the government for their safety and national integrity, the same government didn’t listen to them. Instead they were put in jail accused of racism and terrorism.

What happened today surprised many Anyuak layman in Gmabella. Is it to form an ally with Anyuak or to please them?  If that is not the case, what is the reason behind the move? Are they giving Anyuak recognition of their land? If so, they have been denied of it long time ago and government had taken genocidal action to eliminate the Anyuak on December 13, 2003. Anyuak were told that the land belongs to god and that no Anyuak created land. Is it for the national interest? If so, they were told that any person has right to live anywhere he/she wants in Ethiopia including foreigners to the point that foreigners were appointed in ministerial and diplomatic positions in federal and state governments.

I think each individual Anyuak has to check the gut feeling of this government for its action. Is it to the advantage of Anyuak or national interest? I don’t have an answer yet as to why the government took this action. However, for whatever reason it may be, I would like to thank the government for its action because as Anyuak we always won’t deny the truth as far as there is no malicious motive behind it.

However, let it not be for the same purpose the Nuer had encroached onto the Anyuak land. The Nuer motive of encroaching on the Anyuak land was to assimilate or to eliminate the Anyuak and take the land to annex it to South Sudan as a Nuer empire. Does the government fear the Nuer hidden agenda that Anyuak have been telling the government for years and no one had given a damn ear to listen to so that today they have understood the reality and took an action? Or the government wants to do the same thing its predecessor did by resettling 70,000 settlers to assimilate the Anyuak in 1984 in the pretext of drought? Would it be different from that of Nuer? These are questions on the mind of any Gambellian today. Everybody is silently watching and waiting to get answeres to them.

Despite the fact that the government had taken the action, would the Anyuak enjoy the news of Nuer repatriation or not? It is hard to tell which is which? We better wait and see what will follow. It may impose a double threat that may catch the Anyuak in crossfire. I don’t think that we have to enjoy it now. We have to get prepared for what is coming from both sides. We better not fight the battle of anybody that is not a benefit to us. All Anyuak have to be cautious indeed and wait for what is next.

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Listen to the interview with Dr. Mamo on Anyuak land issues