By Anyuak Media

The regime in Ethiopia (Woyanne) has unleashed a new wave of brutality and cruelty against indigenous Anyuak people in the Gambella region. Fear of further human rights abuses and systematic genocide against the indigenous people with a bigger humanitarian disaster than in 2003 lingers in the mind of many Anyuak both at home and abroad. The trend of killing innocent civilians, torturing, arbitrary arrest, raping, harassment, and disappearances resemble the pre-2003 campaign of genocide against the Anyuak that led to massacre and displacement of thousands indigenous people from their homes and livelihoods. The new wave of brutality feared to increase tensions and mistrusts among local population and further potential conflicts in the region.

In the last few months, the Woyanne army has introduced these new waves of arbitrary arrest, killing, torture, imprisonment and harassment of the indigenous people in their own ancestral land without remorse. A civilian, Kwot Agole, remain in critical condition in the Gambella hospital after a member of the Woyanne army, who remain at large, shot him. He remains guarded in the Gambella hospital with his fate unknown. The army hunted Kwot Agole, son of late Dr David Owour Ojwato, for months before he fell into their hands. His three months pregnant wife, his sister and mother-in-law detained in an effort to flash him out of hiding but release latter.

In similar incident, the army shot dead young Nuer man in arbitrary shoot out at Opomoro area of the Gambella town when they attended alleged burglary incident. A non-indigenous businessperson in the area called the army to attend a claim of burglary incident. It has become apparent that the army has over turned the constitutional provisions by involving and interfering in a law and order issues entrusted to local and federal police forces.

The current Ethiopian constitution clearly stipulates that the army is responsible for national security issues rather than law and order in which they are currently in charge in the Gambella region. The indigenous people are very worried of the army involvement in discriminatory practice against them. It is observed that members of the army arbitrarily searches, strips, and beats the indigenous peoples at night and during day light to terrorize them.

In another development, two Anyuak, Mr. Kwot Agid and Omot Obang, who went to Addis Ababa to witness against their fellow Anyuak — Obang Kut, Obang Thamiru and Omot Obang (Omot Wara-Achan) — were thrown to jail accused of not telling the truth in court of law. Mr. Kwot Agid and Omot Obang are government officials from Gambella region and they remain in prison without legal remedy.

The Ethiopian government also have arrested Ibrahim Abulla in Gambella perhaps in connection to arrest of two Gambella government officials in Addis Ababa. A member of the government militia, Ibrahim was detained in his home village where he visited his relatives. Ibrahim was awarded 21, 00 Eth Birr and granted employment in October 2007 for his role in eliminating two individuals alleged terrorist claimed to have been disturbing peace in the area.

According to our source from Ethiopia, Mr. Kwot Agid and Omot Obang were unable to confess the detainees’ involvement in an ambush of UN vehicle on the way to Odier in 2003, a pretext that lead to indiscriminate killings of innocent Anyuak and destruction of their properties. Unknown group ambushed the UN vehicle on the way to a new site for Sudanese refugee camp in 2003.

Mr. Kwot Agid and Omot Obang could neither witness three detainees’ possessions of arms, a cause for their detention by Pochalla County authorities in 2009. They were among those sent to bring the detainees from across the international borders where they were first detained for about a month. The Gambella regional authorities in collaboration with federal government authorities instructed the two Gambella government officials to witness against the accused individuals on the ground of arms possessions and their alleged involvement in the ambush of UN vehicle in 2003.

Pochalla County authorities of south Sudan arrested Obang Kut, Obang Thamiru and Omot Obang (Omot Wara-Achan) in 2009 and handed them over to Gambella authorities. They remain in Kaleti prison, one of the notorious prisons in the country without proper legal redress. There is shocking report that the detainees are subjects to brutal and cruel human rights abuses by the Woyanne regime while in prison. They are subject to cruel inhumane degrading and torture including thrown into refrigerators, electric shocks and constant beating to confess the crime they have not committed. They are made to sign a document they do not know of its content at night under duress.

Obang Kut, Obang Thamiru and Omot Obang (Omot Wara-Achan) survived from genocide of the Ethiopian government in 2003. They, like many others escaped to safety and they were recognized refugees in Kenya. They were arrested in Pochalla County when they went to visit their relatives who also survived from the Woyanne regime’s campaign of genocide against indigenous people in Gambella.