Gambella has once again found itself trapped in a painful cycle of fear, conflict, and bloodshed. The central question many people are asking is: What
Gambella President in Action
should Nuer in Gambella do for Anywaa to stop attacking them? How much more are we expected to give? How much more are we supposed to surrender before the violence ends?
This question is not just political, it is about survival, justice, power, and the future of a region that has suffered too much.
For years, the political structure of Gambella has been heavily dominated by the Anywaa. The Anywaa community currently holds the presidency seat and occupies key political institutions in the region.
These positions include the President’s office, the Cabinet Affairs Office, the Finance Bureau, the Audit Bureau, and the Police Commission. At the same time, gold mining activities are largely concentrated in areas under their zone. This concentration of both political authority and economic resources has created deep resentment among many Nuer who feel excluded from meaningful participation in governance and resource control.
What exactly is missing? When their own daughter, Alemitu_Umot, assumed office in August 2024, many hoped her leadership would calm tensions and create unity. Instead, the situation has not improved, it has become more frightening.
Public buses have been ambushed on the roads. Government vehicles have been attacked. Innocent Nuer civilians have been killed in daylight in the capital of Gambella. These are not rumors whispered in villages; these are incidents people talk about openly, with fear in their voices. Mothers are afraid to let their sons travel. Traders are scared to move goods. Families live with anxiety every single day. Now, the trust between communities is breaking down.
What do the attackers really want? If the presidency, key administrative offices, security command, financial control, and economic leverage through gold mining are already in their hands, what else do they want? Is it about total dominance? Total silence from the Nuer? Is it about land? Total political disappearance? Is it about eliminating political competition? Complete submission? Or is it the product of deeper historical grievances that remain unresolved?
This is the part that makes many of us angry, because if power is already centralized, then continued violence cannot be justified as a struggle for representation. It begins to look like intimidation. It begins to look like a message: “Even if we have everything, we will make sure you remain afraid.”
However, reacting blindly with revenge will not solve this crisis. If Nuer respond with organized retaliation, Gambella will burn. And when Gambella burns, no office, not the presidency, not the Finance Bureau, not the Police Commission will be safe from instability. Violence will not strengthen either Nuer or Anywaa; it will only justify harsher crackdowns and deeper division.
Nuer respond with organized violence, the region will descend into full communal war. That would not weaken only one side, it would destroy both. Businesses would collapse. Federal intervention would increase. Ordinary citizens would suffer more than politicians. And in the end, those holding political power would still negotiate, while young men die in the streets.
The truth is undeniable: Gambella cannot function if one group seeks total control and another seeks total retaliation. Neither Anywaa nor Nuer can erase the other. They share land, history, markets, schools, and a future whether they like it or not.
This article is authored by Pam Chuol Joack, a scholar and analyst specializing in Gambella affairs.
