The Nuer must reassess their weak habit of forgiving their aggressive neighbours such as Anyuak, Murlee, etc, who always pose a potential threat to them. They must treat threats seriously; human beings respond to natural laws very well including the Anyuak. The present threat posed by Anyuak is real and must not be taken lightly. If they choose eye to eye we must do the same thing.

In one of their clubhouse rooms yesterday, the Anyuak brothers and sisters made it very clear that they would continue murdering the Nuer by any chance if the Nuer did not evacuate from the areas, they deemed to be theirs—the places like Newland, Itang, Makot and so forth. Yet, my people in Gambella behave as though they own a company manufacturing human beings.

How would you allow someone to treat you or even call you a refugee in a land where your ancestors have been there for three centuries? Would you tell the Europeans now in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc to move back to Europe and they would listen to you? This is how ridiculous this case of Anyuak is.

Hence, when our people in Gambella resort to accusing each other in the face of a threat, while they have been slaughtering on roads daily, we their brothers outside of Ethiopia will never be able to help them. You cannot help someone who does not show any sign of struggle to help him/herself.

Peaceful coexistence with neighbours is an ideal choice for human beings. However, if others choose otherwise, we should do the same thing, until the resolutions must come from both sides. The proverb says, “Peace comes after the war.” In its nature peace cannot be achieved by one party alone, if the other side is not willing; it could happen only if both sides cooperate to achieve it. Our people will continue to cry for peace to come to Gambella, but it will never happen until the Anyuak finds a good reason to do it, and that reason is not far from doing exactly what they are now doing.

NB: The only solution, in my view to deal with this threat is to encourage our people back home to adopt the same habit of self-defence. If they want peace, then they should be willing to make peace with them. The notion that the Nuer love to forgive their adversaries prematurely is dumb and must be stopped