• An American national among those arrested
• Youth group looking to oust the president
Two weeks after security forces in Gambella State on the border of Sudan fired on protesters demanding reform, killing 9, residents say people suspected of involvement in the demonstrations are being targeted in a wave of arrests. At least six members of Anyuak ethnic groups have been arrested on October 7 for “opposing the regional government”, multiple sources said. The detainees were accused of “perpetrating acts that pose threat to security and undermining public officials.”
Magn Nyang, an American national and a counsellor from Minnesota, Omot Ouguta Adew, head of newly formed youth group called DhalDim, and OKwom, a businessman and pro-democracy activist are among those arrested, activists reached by telephone said. Magn Nyang, a recent returnee from the United States, was interviewed on the Voice of America’s Amharic service recently, in which he said the reform being introduced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hasn’t yet reached Gambela. He is believed to have been detained for speaking to the media and for being vocal against the administration.
The arrests are part of a crackdown on peaceful dissent by the president of the Gambella region, Gatluak Tut Koat that has also targeted civil society, Ojo Gilo, Anyuak ethnic member, who lives in the United States told Ethiopia Observer.
The detainees have been vocal proponents of democratic reform in the region and actively participated in organizing a protest held in Gambella town on October 2, it was said. The protest was carefully organised and peaceful, according to organisers. A previous demonstration held on September 24 ended in bloodshed, the right group called the Gambella Rights Observatory calling it “a massacre”. Obang Metho, an Anuak activist and executive director of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C told Ethiopia Observer that nine people were killed and 21 wounded on September 24’s demonstration.
Ojo Gilo, Anyuak ethnic member told Ethiopia Observer that the situation has been fuelled by political grievances and ethnic bias. He said the Nuer who are from South Sudan who have arrived there as refugees are controlling the political space, excluding the indigenous Anyuak. Ojo particularly accuses of the president of the region, Gatluak Tut Koat whom he described as “as crap person who is selling the land in Itang area to the so-called investors in collaboration with some military generals of the federal government.” He said the youth group DhalDim, who are organized like Qeerroo, are looking to oust the president, Gatluak, through popular protests. The regional administration responded to the protests by sending a large number of security forces into the streets, he said.
Gatluak Tut Koat, ethnic-Nuer, has served as president of Gambella state since 2012, replacing Omot Obang, ethnic-Anuak who led the region from 2005 until 2012.
Several activists say, despite some sinister motive from some officials to make it look like, this is not a conflict between Anyuak and Nuer people, who share languages and cultures. One informant said there have been also Nuer people who have been detained for opposing the administration, but didn’t say how many. “DhalDiim is a civil rights movement and it’s inclusive but Gatluak Tut and his refugee members have turned it into Anyuak versus Nuer. Turning DhalDiim into a violence organization is a plan by federal government agencies whose intention is to keep Gambella in violent and corrupt status,” a statement from Gambella Rights Observatory reads.
Gambella has a population of 300,000, mainly indigenous Anyuak and Nuer. The Nuer are pastoralists moving with the cattle and the Anyuak grow crops as the flood waters recede. The low-lying region bordering Sudan is politically charged, prone to drought and flooding and sporadic violence. The government’s program to lease large tracts of land for agricultural investors and subsequent resettlements has been faced with violent opposition in the region.
All of those resettlement villages were located in the land that the Anyuak consider as their own. At the same time Nuer refugees from Sudanese civil war began to arrive in large numbers and settle permanently. That was particularly exacerbated by the arrival of more than 250,000 Nuer to new refugee camps, starting after South Sudan’s government imploded in December 2013, according to an article from the Guardian.
Main Image: Gatluak Tut Koat, middle, sits between Aster Mamo and Addisu Legesse. Photo the Reporter.
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. Please cite Ethiopia Observer prominently and link clearly to the original article if you republish. If you have any queries, please contact us at ethiopiaobserver@protonmail.com. Check individual images for licensing details.
