Twenty six Nuer Ethiopians of Jokow District were Massacred by Murele Gun Men

April 30, 2006 - It is utterly degrading that Murele people do not value the human life for cattle. In Ngor village, which is approximately 100 kms from Gambella town in Ethiopia, 26 people were confirmed dead. It was learnt that this people were killed by Murele culprits. The incident happened at dawn on Friday 21st April this year. Among the deceased included children, women, men and the elderly. Ostensibly, the main objective of the perpetrators was to snatch cattle, however, they brought anguish and despair to those who lost their loved ones.

According to eyes witnesses, the strategy used by these attackers is far beyond the tactics of untrained personal. On top of that, they were all equipped with automatic machinery and dressed in uniforms. Their numbers ranges between 500 to 700. They came at night and surrounded the whole village to hamper chances of escaping. As they were large in number, some of them were a mile away from the village and indeed they were the one who started shot on to the air to puzzle people. When men ran to see what was going on, then children, women and the elderly got themselves in line of fire from those who already surrounded the village. They indiscriminately exterminate them and took all the cattle which are the basic source of income.

It is not the first time this year the Jokow residents experienced this catastrophe disaster. A week ago, before this massacre, they attacked Nguanhok, a village adjacent to Ngor in Jokow district. In that attack, they killed 16 people and took all the cattle. They suffered no casualties as the villagers were all disarmed by the government. This paved the way for their rigorous attack on Ngor’s innocent civilians.

It is undoubtedly pervasive disposition that killing to take one’s property is justified in Murele tribe. On April 17 this year, I learnt from anyuakmedia that an Anyuak village near Pochala town was attacked by Murele militia. They left six villagers dead and took all the cattle. Alternatively, they were at war with their neighbours in search for cattle in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s before SPLA got control over them.

My suggestion goes to Murele elite who read this article. This article is not about your vilification but to let you know what is happening on the ground in our blessed land. I think there need to be a change in your way of life and that change need to generate from you intellectuals folks. You have responsibility to tell your brothers that killing innocent people for no reason is evil, immoral, unjustified and unacceptable by all means. You have children, brothers, sister, mothers, fathers and so forth. You also know how hard or long it takes to raise a human being from prenatal period to late adulthood. Therefore, it is a heartfelt situation if someone takes someone’s life needlessly. I think you need to go and tell your people that Southern Sudan of today is not that of the 70’s 80’s and 90’s. We have many ways to make a living than to go and kill someone else in desire for his/her belongings.

In the meantime, we can cultivate our land and plant our crops, trade and make business. We can go fishing, hunting and then rely on those. We are not evil like your people think. We are human beings and a gain Christians with all the Ten Commandments, placed by the bible, which do not accept all ideas your people are practising. If we were evil, I think Nuer have a potential of wiping you out. But this would never happen and no tribe else is wishing to exercise mass murder in Southern Sudan like you.

Pel Chol is a Sudanese and a social science student at La Trobe University in Australia. He should be reached at longechuk4@yoo.com