A turning point in Ethiopia’s EPRDF-Nuers partnership

Sudanese raiders kill over seventy and displace
thousands in Gambella Region, as Government sits mum.

By Banek Wal Mut*

June 17, 2006 — Since the end of March, gunmen from Southern Sudan
have mounted a series of raids in several Nuer villages
in Akobo and Jikawo Woredas (Districts) of Gambella
Regional State killing over 70 people and wounding more
than 100, some of them seriously. Among the victims
are children, women and elderly. The assailants have
also looted thousands of cattle and forced more than
half the Ethiopian Nuer population to flee their
homes. Most of the displaced have crossed into
Southern Sudan; while those who remained within the
Ethiopian borders have moved away from the banks of
Baro River, towards the North.

Two of the deadliest raids took place around Telut,
about 90 Km from the Regional Capital Gambella.
A midnight raid at Palbuol Village
on Saturday April 15 left 18 people dead and wounded
nine others. A week later (on Saturday April 22),
another raid took place at dawn in Nguor village, just
across the Baro River from Pal-buol, leaving 23
civilians dead and wounding more than 38 people.
Nine attackers were also killed and their bodies left
behind by their comrades. Later on in the day, the
National army and local police attempted botched
re-enforcements in two directions. But both ended
prematurely in shootouts with wounded raiders who were
left behind, resulting in the death of one soldier and
a policeman. Two soldiers were also wounded. With
these minor skirmishes the military lost appetite to
pursue the attackers and returned to Barracks in
Gambella Town, while the huge military stationed
around the oil exploration fields sat aloof as the
assailants passed under its nose with their booty, at
least three thousands heads of cattle.

One of the latest attacks (on April 29) which killed
four people, including a woman, took place just
outside one of the biggest military camp guarding the
oil exploration at Pool-deang. The military did not
intervene to support the villagers, who even appeal to
the army to supply them with ammunition in order to
mount an effective counter-offensive,
but flatly refused. As a result, the assailant managed
to get away with thousands of cattle.

It’s not clear why the Army is watching the carnage
with indifference. Some say they have not been given
clear orders to stop it. Others say they have been
ordered to stop it, but the local commanders stalled
it. Many Nuers, however, believe the Army which is
entirely made up of brown-skin highlanders (unlike the
jet-black skin Nuers), simply doesn’t think it’s worth
dying for them.

For some time, it was not clear who the raiders were.
But later raids have provided solid evidences
regarding their identity as bodies were left behind
and some attackers captured alive by the villagers. It
has now been well established that majority of the
raiders are Murle ethnic group from Jonglei province
of Southern Sudan. But in some instances Lou Nuer
Tribesmen, who have illegally occupied parts of Akobo
Woreda for the last five years are found responsible.
Both groups are known to be armed up to teeth with
weapons acquired from the protagonists of the Southern
Sudanese war and are no match to the Ethiopian Nuers,
who are poorly armed and partially disarmed recently
by The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA).

The reaction of the Federal Government to these
attacks is disappointing and absurd. Despite numerous
reports and request for intervention from the Regional
Government, it has failed to respond effectively to
stop the attacks. It tells the world everything is
being done to stop the attacks, while its army stands
aloof as citizens are being killed and forced to flee
their homes. Similar attacks in its border have
prompted the Kenyan Government to order its military
and police to blockade the whole border with Ethiopia.
But the Ethiopian government, which claims to be the
champion of the underdog is not only sitting mum, but
also blacking-out the news of the attacks, saying the
opposition might use it for political gains. Due to
this, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) failed to carry
the news, although its reporters visited and witnessed
the aftermath of one of the deadliest attacks around
Telut. For those officials, scoring political points
is more important than the lives of Nuer pastoralists.

Some peoples including media outlet wrongly attributed
the current waves of attacks on drought which is
raging in the Horn of Africa. They think the clashes
are due to competition for meager resources during a
drought year. Prime Minister Meles in his recent
response to a question posed by a foreign journalist
had also tried to belittle the attacks by attributing
them to usual cross border activities. He said
“cattle’s rustling is not necessarily unheard of in
that part of the continent.” An army spokesman had
outrageously put the causalities to two dead and few
cattle looted. But the fury and the extent, with
which the attacks have been carried out, can neither
be explained by resource competition in a drought year
nor by the usual cross border cattle rustling. The
raiders are targeting children, women and old people,
which are uncommon in the area. Moreover cross border
cattle rustling is not common in Jikawo Woreda and
parts of Akobo where the attacks are taking place. While
it is true that sub-tribal cross border clashes are
common in the area, they don’t usually involve cattle
rustling or targeting children, women and the old.

Those who are well familiar with the area believe two
factors have contributed to the current raids. The
first has something to do with illegal occupation of
half of Akobo Woreda by Lou Nuer gunmen from South
Sudan, since April 2001. The gunmen attacked the area
with overwhelming force, killing many people and
burning down 17 villages including the Woreda Council.
They also looted the entire herds of Cattle, rendering
more than 20,000 peoples destitute. The invaders
occupied the villages and later extended their
holdings over two other villages. Help neither came
from the regional government nor the federal
government. Consequently, most of the displaced people
have been dispersed and now live in neighboring
villages and Woredas, including Jikawo, Itang and
Gambella. A considerable number have also crossed the
border and settled in Nasir area of Southern Sudan.
Their repeated appeals to the government to evict the
occupiers and return them to their villages went
unheeded. Instead the occupiers appear to have
developed amicable relations with some units of the
National Army guarding the Oil Exploration Concession,
which extend to the illegally occupied areas. There
were even rumors that the occupiers were lobbying the
army in order to enable them acquire Ethiopian
citizenship. These were recently confirmed by a deputy
Commander of the Western Command, who reportedly told
a regional Security Council meeting in Gambella that,
considering their long stay in the area, Lou Nuer had
asked for recognition from the government. The
commander also reiterated that the military had no
intention of striking at what it considered “civilian
target.” Lou leaders on their part have made it clear
they would not leave unless forced out. In a recent
reconciliation conference held in Matar, the new Akobo
Woreda seat after the occupation of Tergol, Lou
leaders arrogantly said “We acquire the area by power
of the bullet; any body who wish to dislodge us must
use the same method.” The local Nuers believe Lou leaders
took the stand with full knowledge that the military
would not strike at them. So it appears there is
collusion between these illegal occupiers and at least
some elements of the army to keep each other’s
interest.

On the other hand, the Lou Nuer Tribesmen have never
been contented with the land they occupied, and ever
since have been trying to extend their holding by
conquering more areas. In June 2005 they raided Adura
village in Jikawo Woreda killing more than 30 people
and burning down the whole village. However, the
attackers were dealt a heavy blow by re-enforcements
from neighboring villages and forced to withdraw. This
illegally occupied area of Akobo Woreda has become a
staging point for all sorts of gunmen who kill and
terrorize people with impunity in the last five years.
Almost all the latest attackers came from or passed
through these illegally occupied areas.

Secondly, The SPLA had recently embarked upon botched
disarmament in Nasir and Jikawo areas of Southern
Sudan which they illegally extended to the Ethiopian
side. In this manner many bordering villages in Akobo
and Jikawo Woredas had been illegally disarmed, making
them vulnerable to attacks. During the current raids
some villagers had to confront machineguns with
spears, resulting in high casualties and rendering
their re-enforcement ineffective. Also fearing the
SPLA disarmament, large numbers of raiders, both Murle
and Lou Nuer, have crossed into Ethiopia border and are up
to now still loitering with their booties.

The people of Gambella, particularly the Nuers are
angry and frustrated about the federal government’s
indifference to their predicaments. There is general
perception that the government doesn’t care about
their existence. What it wants is to exploit the
natural resources, particularly oil, and if the
occupiers don’t hinder the exploration, whatever
happens to the Ethiopian Nuers is not their concern.
After all, they (Nuers) have never rebelled against
the government and pose no immediate threat to the oil
exploration, leave alone the “National Security.”
These are the real reasons why the federal government
has been reluctant to evict the Akobo occupiers in the
last five years and now refuse to stop the current
wave of attacks, not because of fear of harming the
relationship between Ethiopia and Sudan as some
officials would want us to believe.

The Nuer people of Gambella also feel betrayed by a
government they have always supported. During the
Eritrean invasion, many Nuer men responded to the
government’s mobilization call and volunteered to
fight. Some of them have paid the ultimate sacrifice;
they died defending their country. But the families of
those fallen heroes today are left to the mercy of the
Sudanese gunmen by the same government. If those
heroes were alive today, I wonder whether they would
want to fight again for a government (country) that
has abandoned their people. Also, Federal Police
Servicemen from Gambella were in the forefront in
thwarting the recent attempt by the opposition to
dismantle the constitution. But their parents are
being killed and displaced from their villages today
by Sudanese gunmen, while the government army watches
with indifference. Though more than half the
population of the two Woredas has been displaced, the
government still insists on discussing the mater with
the Sudanese government, which has little or no
control over the raiders, instead of blockading the
border, like what Kenya is currently doing to stop
similar raids on its people.

It’s not clear when, how and in what form the
displaced Ethiopian Nuers will return to their
villages. Perhaps, the government may relent to
pressure and discharge its responsibility to protect
its citizens. Or the people may find other means to arm
themselves and mount a counter-offensive to flush out
the enemy from their villages. Which way the suffering
of Ethiopian Nuer will end, only time will tell. But
one thing is quiet certain: the partnership between
the people of Gambella, particularly The Nuers, and
the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF) will never be the same again.

* Banek Wal Mut is a concerned Ethiopian Nuer living in
the United States and can be reached by e-mail: [email protected]