Gambella is the smallest region in Ethiopia both in population and landmass, yet it remains one of the country’s most persistent hotspots of violence. This violence continues to claim innocent lives, with little apparent capacity or willingness to bring it under control.

The Prime Minister must be provided with accurate and complete information if the Gambella crisis is to be resolved once and for all. When examined from a counter-insurgency perspective, the situation in Gambella bears all the hallmarks of an organized rebellion. What we are witnessing is an insurgency driven by elements within the Anyuak community.

This situation deteriorated significantly under the administration of former regional president Omot Ojulu, who now serves as an advisor to the Ministry of Peace in the federal government. During and after his tenure, Anyuak armed groups adopted insurgency-style tactics, carrying out a campaign of terror that included attacks on public buses and civilian targets, killing babies, women, and children before melting back into the community.

Due to the protection and support of Anyuak elites, none of the perpetrators of these crimes were ever brought to justice. As if attacks on public transport were not enough, Anyuak militias—sometimes acting alongside police officers—launched assaults on Nuer villages, killing scores of civilians.

None of this information has ever reached the Office of the Prime Minister. The only deaths reported upward are those that occur when the Nuer retaliate. The Anyuak elite actively obstruct justice by preventing the arrest and prosecution of criminals, creating a one-sided narrative that blames only the victims who defend themselves.

When justice is systematically denied, people inevitably take matters into their own hands. This is the reality behind the Gambella situation today.

The Anyuak elites are demanding that the Nuer leave Ethiopia altogether—an explicit violation of the Ethiopian Constitution. Article 33 of the Constitution guarantees nationality rights, stating clearly: “No Ethiopian national shall be deprived of his or her Ethiopian nationality against his or her will.”

Knowing this demand is unconstitutional, the Anyuak elites avoid presenting it openly to the Prime Minister. Instead, they fund armed insurgent groups on the ground with the objective of forcibly removing the Nuer from three targeted areas.

The Nuer, who are indigenous to these areas, are resisting this pressure and paying for it with their lives every day.

The entire Anyuak population could fit into a single European football stadium. This crisis does not require federal intervention to resolve—it could be handled by a functioning regional government within a day. The problem arises when the state itself collaborates with armed insurgents.

Criminals who murder children and civilians openly socialize with Anyuak elites in government, only to later ambush public buses, ambulances, and civilian vehicles without regard for who is inside or what property is destroyed.

A recent example is the attack on an ambulance and a double-cab pickup truck, which resulted in four deaths and six injuries.

The regional president refused to arrest Abol police officer Azach Bare Agua, claiming the ambulance attack was part of “Anyuak grievances.” With authorities protecting criminals, only the naïve would expect the region not to descend into chaos.

There are unconfirmed reports that Azach Bare Agua was later killed by Nuer youth. While tragic, this outcome reflects the vacuum of justice created by the authorities themselves. This is the situation President Alemitu has allowed to develop.

Alemitu wields more power in Gambella than even the Prime Minister of Ethiopia appears to have. I have never seen or heard of the Prime Minister obstructing justice or releasing convicted murderers. His authority to pardon political opponents for national reconciliation is legitimate and lawful. What is happening in Gambella, however—arresting victims and freeing murderers—is a new low for the regional justice system under Anyuak control.

If the Prime Minister does not remove this toxic administration and either appoint Nuer leadership or place Gambella under federal administration, the region will remain in perpetual chaos. Alemitu will never deliver security. Not only has she failed to pursue criminals as decisively as the late President Omot Obang did, but she has actively released known murderers responsible for killing prominent members of the Nuer community.

One such case is the killing of university lecturer Duoth Chot Nen, who was murdered just two weeks after becoming president. This and other recent violence could have been prevented had Alemitu upheld the rule of law.

Alemitu’s inaction stems from fear. Violent elements within the Anyuak community reportedly threatened her with death if she moved against them. The Anyuak have a history of assassinating their own leaders when political differences arise, including the killing of Gambella’s first president, Agua Alemu, and multiple assassination attempts on the late President Omot Obang.

Rather than risk becoming another statistic, Alemitu chose self-preservation over justice. In this case, she should resign. More importantly, Gambella must be governed either by Nuer leadership or directly by the federal government so that criminals—whose hands are stained with Gambella’s blood, including Omot Ojulu—no longer enjoy safe haven and impunity.

This Article was written by Pel Kun Chol
A Gambella native from Lare Woreda
Graduate of Macquarie University, Centre for Policing, Intelligence, and Counter-Terrorism