The onslaught of killings of Nuer by Anyuak must not be taken lightly. This is not a simple problem that randomly happens where people can
Gambella Bus attack
sob for the time being but the next day becomes a new world where yesterday’s hostilities become regrettable. That is not the case for the current situation in Gambella.
The Anyuak are determined to evict Nuer from Ethiopia. They tried every legal mean but as that did not work, the only option left for them which they are now applying is terror. Terrorist activities by Anyuak supports their conviction because they kill any Nuer they could get be it a child, a woman, an elderly or a Nuer with a disability.
With this method, they achieved their goal to some extent in Itang as they derived Nuer away from Itang. The constant killings at night and day on Nuer created fear among the Nuer population in Itang which moved to Tharpaam, an area 20 Kms away from Itang centre.
But Anyuak goal is not just an Itang free Nuer. It goes deeper than that. It is to derive Nuer out of Gambella entirely. In May last year, they killed 13 Nuer women in a church on a Sunday Church Service in Wanthoa Woreda. Two weeks after that, Beretheseb came under numerous attacks from the Anyuak extremist. The aim of that was to dislodge Nuer from Gambella city where Beretseseb was the starting point then to be followed by Newland.
President Omot is aware of this plan. He did not stop or apprehend the perpetrators who killed so many people. As a result of the state government’s inaction, the Anyuak extremists continued to wage a violence campaign of terror knowing that they are legally protected by the President and his Anyuak cohorts.
Passenger buses have come under numerous attacks in Abol and the outskirts of it where so many unarmed civilians lost their lives. Other areas inhabited by Nuer such as in the refugees’ camps and Itang as well as Puldeng also came under relentless attack by the Anyuak extremists.
It is clear that the Anyuak have a gaol and for them to achieve that, they sent men from all woredas to training. These terrorists now live in Makher, Pino, Itang, Malual Iller and launch attacks on Nuer from those areas. The attack on Makhot few days ago could have been so disastrous for the Nuer. But Nuer knew the Anyuak very well and so those who came to Makhot met their fete the same way Anyuak did when they attacked Puldeng. You can guarantee your entry into a Nuer territory but once you get in and open fire, how you get out is the question each and every Anyuak who made that move could be asked.
Despite all these killings on Nuer by Anyuak extremists, Nuer Must Not Kill as a response to this Anyuak Barbarism. But they must stop them from becoming Pure Evils.
One way of doing that is to ensure launching pads are destroyed. These areas include Makher, Nyale, Pino, Akhate, Abol, Manyang, and Itang. It has never been a goal or a thought for the Nuer to consider this move.
But Anyuak have made it a gaol that they do not want to live with the Nuer which is exemplified by the killings they have been carrying out for years. Some Nuer underestimate this Anyuak threat but as it become clearer that these mob wants to destroy Nuer, it must be a work of every Nuer to ensure that this is followed through.
Failure to achieve this would be detrimental to Nuer existence as a society in Ethiopia. The Anyuak have been killing Nuer in the eyes of the state and federal governments who all turned a blind eye as if the Nuer are not human beings.
Nuer problem in Gambella would never stop if those areas which the Anyuak use as launching pad to attack Nuer are still occupied by them, Those areas must be labelled to ground zero. Nuer thought Anyuak are educated and would live in a 21st Century in peace with their neighbours. But this does not seem to be the case.
They started a war in 2016 where they used to killing Nuer around Gur Uluak and Pinymoo when they come from or go to Itang with the aim of deriving Nuer in Puldeng out by terror . That backfired and they lost those areas. Nuer deaths in those areas had stopped and now no Nuer die there because of Anyuak mobs. It appears that they are repeating the smae mistake which Nuer would not hesitate to implement to ensure safety.
We do not have to own any blame for that because they started the s..t and that s..t must end with them. They thought it would work for them after they have been killing Nuer in Itang which ultimately led to Nuer abandonment of Itang for Tharpaam. Now Nuer must rebuild Itang and live there again mostly because as Nuer have left Itang, it was not enough for the Anyuak. They followed Nuer in Tharpaam killing them.
Last month, two boys playing in the pond were fired upon where one was shot and died at the scene and the other was badly wounded in Tharpaam. This shows the determination these people have in pushing us to South Sudan which we all do not know as Ethiopia is our home. As their plan is now obvious, we hope that every Nuer would put every resource he or she has to ensure our existence in Ethiopia and fulfil this mission.
