The Prime Minister’s effort to bring peace to Gambella by sending church leaders. Imams
Pastors in Gambella
and elders is well-intentioned, but it is fundamentally flawed. Gambella is not religiously or culturally uniform.
Not everyone is Christian or a Muslim, and not everyone recognizes elders as legitimate authorities. This reality is evident when one looks at the limited presence of churches and mosques in many Anyuak and Nuer villages.
Similar approaches have already been tried. Church leaders, Imams and elders from the Ethiopian highlands were previously brought to mediate the conflict in Gambella, and the effort failed.
Meanwhile, the violence continues. Just yesterday, another Nuer, Mayan Tut, from Lare Woreda, was killed and another is fighting for his life at Gambella Primary Hospital.
Gambella is now standing on the edge of a dangerous escalation. One act of retaliation could easily lead to the loss of 200 or 300 lives from both sides. This is not what the people of Gambella want.
The Nuer community, alongside peace-loving Anyuak, wants development, stability, and for Gambella to be known for tourism and opportunity not war and terror. People have had enough of innocent lives being taken.
The Prime Minister must not shy away from doing what is necessary. Restoring security in Gambella does not require the ENDF to fight a full-scale war. What is needed is decisive and credible leadership.
A capable regional leader someone with the competence and resolve of figures like late Omot Obang or Ato Thowath Pal could effectively deploy the Gambella Special Force to dismantle criminal networks and apprehend perpetrators from their hideouts.
At the same time, existing laws though weakened must be enforced. Ethnic-based violent offenders should face life imprisonment. To prevent local interference, arrangements should be made with the federal government or other regions for these criminals to serve their sentences far from Gambella in the cold in Oromia or Addis Ababa.
Ultimately, the path to peace depends on leadership choices. Keeping the current leadership while the bloodshed continues sends the wrong message. If Alemitu remains in power, it will be seen as a serious mistake not only her inability to confront armed elements or a lack of experience in governance, but she harboured them growing the seeds which are destroying Gambella today.
Violence does not erupt overnight. Just as betrayal in a relationship begins long before it becomes visible, the killings in Gambella did not suddenly start in May 2023. Armed groups grew more confident over time, benefiting from tolerance and protection of the Gambella national and Regional State Government under Omod Ojulu.
What we are witnessing now is the result of that long standing failure to act.
As long as these armed networks remain intact, Gambella will continue to bleed. One cannot lead a government while simultaneously allowing criminal actors to operate with impunity. No counter-terror effort succeeds when those in charge are unwilling or unable to confront the very forces destabilizing the region.
The Prime Minister now stands at a defining moment. Peace in Gambella requires removing ineffective leadership, enforcing the law without fear or favor, and prioritizing the safety of all civilians. Anything less risks allowing the cycle of violence to continue.
This article was written by Pel Kun Chol, A Gambella Native form Lare Woreda.
