Starting from the day when guns erupted from 11:15 am in February 04, 2016 here in Gambella town many people were surprised for un expected event that was not thought to happen due to because most of the people were living in peace and harmony with one another either Anywaa , Nuer or anyone who is in Gambella region. This problem come from the work of certain people that thinks their need could be achieved when people kills each other’s. I beg your indulgent both Anywaa and Nuer to forgive each other’s instead of killing one another.
This conflict did not happen in vein, but through the plan of individual s or people that think killing each other is the solution for their grievance. The cause was the case of land, since 2001 Anywaa and Nuer fought in Gambella for owning the land of Itang special woreda as they both claim it; the immediate cause of that conflict in the last decade was the language that was totally solved by both Federal and regional government. In this ten years starting from 2006 up to 2016 theses two ethnics group were living in peace with one another’s, by the time when Engineer Olare who is Anywaa took the position of vice president the Anywaa begin to talk about why Nuer that live in kebel 01 were taken to kebele 03 that Anywaa belong too, due to this case Anywaa got jealousy for that, while is the government of Gambella which give the land of Nuer in kebele 01 to Gambella University and take the Nuer to kebele 03.
Therefore, due to this reason two men got in to argument on land one who is the driver of Gambella vice president a Anyuak and other is deputy dean of Gambella Health and Teacher Training College (GHTTC) who is Nuer both did not lease the land from government municipality ; for certain period of time the Anywaa one call Nuer to discuss the case of land when the Nuer guy arrive the Anywaa one starting insulting the Nuer and pull out his pistol and shot Nuer , unfortunately Nuer guy was not shot and again he took off his pistol and shot the Anywaa one in arm with pistol and went with his car; the question is where did the vice president driver got the pistol from?.
By the time When the Anywaa student from college hear that the deputy dean of college shot vice president driver who is Anywaa in arm , one Anyuak student start to box one Nuer student and finally all students stone each other’s in college , but was control in that time by the government of Gambella police force. In the same day in night time certain Anywaa young men attack Nuer women that rent house in front GHTTcollege with knife and spear that one was killed and another one injured, but the Nuer keep silent when the government convince them and where by the head of Gambella Bureau of Security said that we will find the negligent but fail too because the guy was Anywaa ; even the Nuer again still silent.
Lastly the Nuer were sleeping and forgetting all the cases that happen because they believe the security in the region, one Anywaa young man was told to throw hand grenade bomb near to Nuer student in college when he arrived near to them grenade bomb start to pull off and cut his arm and legs before reaching the Nuer students in GHTT college; the question is where did this Anywaa guy got the grenade bomb from?, he got the grenade bomb from one of Anywaa that is Gambella police special force (GPSF) and from the border of pochalla, Jor and Buma from south Sudan because this border were open to Salva Kiir by the local authority of Anywaa in those areas to supplies them with guns.
Therefore, When the Nuer in Gambella town heard that the Nuer student were bombed they start to demonstrate and told the government to take out our children from college, when the student came out they start to stone each other both Anywaa and Nuer student, when one Anywaa police special force start to fire gun he shot one Nuer in his head and finally fighting start to erupted. When the clashes happen deputy head of Gambella Bureau of Road and Transport went to Abobo woreda in early morning time for work, by his return to Gambella the Anyuak police men in Abobo woreda kill even in the mid of the town, and at the same time 5 Nuer Gambella special police force and one Nuer women were kills in Jor woreda of Anywaa zone by their Anywaa colleague who are police together with them.
In the second day when the Nuer prisoners in Gambella town prison hear that deputy Bureau of Road and 6 Gambella special police force who is Nuer were kills, they directly fight with physical hand fight with the Anywaa prisoners and kills 7 of them. At the same time when Anywaa in Abobo woreda heard that the Anywaa who are prisoners in Gambella prison were kills, the Anywaa police in Abobo woreda started to kills 14 Nuer prisoners in Abobo prison who are refugees that came from south Sudan.
Conclusion
The ethnics tension that ours here in Gambella was upset to all peoples of Gambella despite who you are. The tension was high due to the following things:
- The shot of deputy bureau head of Road and Transport that is Gatdet by the Anywaa police is Abobo was one of the tension
- The killing of Anywaa prisoners by the Nuer prisoners with physical hand fight in Gambella town prison
- The killing of Nuer Gambella special police force in Jor Woreda by their Anywaa colleague who are Gambella special police force in Jor.
Another, case was killing of Nuer who are refugees that are under Federal government is questioned by ARRA and UNHCR, because Anywaa kills them as they are supporter of SPLM-IO leaders who is Nuer, the hard question is the Anywaa in Ethiopia join Salva Kiir government indirectly that is why they kills Nuer who are refugees?, I think this is a big shame we Gambella peoples as well as Ethiopian.
Recommendation
- First we needs to avoid revenge by killings one who even do not like this senseless war, and lets leave all cases to the government
- Avoid tribalism among each other and think as one people
- Call for both federal and Gambella regional government to close the border of Buma, Jor and Pochalla of Anywaa zone that let the free flows of guns from south Sudan to arm the Anywaa militia in Ethiopia with grenade bomb, PKM, and RPG to bomb and kills their brother Nuers.
- Let federal and regional government of Gambella take serious action on those individuals Anywaa in abroad and in Gambella that spoiling Gambella, while their objective is to open Gambella as war zone to Ginbot 7 party, and Anywaa Liberation Movement in Eritrea to fight with this current government of Ethiopia
- Finally let us think brotherly, by forgiving each other’s because even though we need something from each other’s the best way was not to fought, but to talk and forgive each other’s.