We all understand that the situation in Gambella is deeply troubling. Nobody who understands the reality on the ground could honestly describe it as good.

Not even the former Gambella President, Ato Thankuey Joack or the current Vice President, Dr Gatluak Ruon. The situation is so alarming that many residents fear for their safety and question whether the authorities are capable of protecting them.

Yet one question remains deeply troubling: Why do so many Nuer appear to have accepted repeated killings as though nothing extraordinary is happening?

I raise this question because our response to the deaths of our own people often falls far short of what the circumstances demand. Our people are killed, families are devastated, and communities mourn.

Then, all too often, life resumes as though those who died might somehow return to sit among us again. Their deaths should never become routine. No community should be expected to accept the loss of its people without demanding justice, accountability, and meaningful protection.

The Habesha Community Has Sent a Message

The response of the Habesha community in Gambella offers an important lesson in collective action. Reports of repeated killings, followed by the community’s decision to take the matter directly to the authorities, demonstrate what can happen when grief becomes a united demand for accountability.

According to accounts of the events, the community endured a series of killings over several weeks. The deaths continued at a rate of approximately seven Habesha per week.

The scale and frequency of the violence should have prompted urgent intervention long before the situation escalated had the Anyuak leadership not planned the killing of none Anyuaks in Gambella.

But there was no reprieve of Habesha Deaths as the Anyuak kills with full impunity. Three Habesha people were killed on the night of 14 October marked a turning point. The following morning, grieving relatives and community members took the bodies of the deceased to the Gambella Police Commission to demand answers.

This was not simply another funeral procession. It was a public declaration that the community would no longer remain silent in the face of repeated deaths.

When the protesters were directed to the Gambella National and Regional State Council, they took the bodies there as well, placing them in an open area where the public could see the gravity of their loss.

The message was unmistakable: these were human beings whose lives mattered, and their deaths demanded an answer.

The lesson for the Nuer community is not that we should imitate violence or seek revenge. It is that we must learn to act collectively, peacefully, persistently, and decisively when our people are killed.

A Crisis of Trust in Gambella’s Leadership

For years, many Nuer residents have expressed frustration over what they perceive as unequal treatment in the investigation of killings and the pursuit of justice. Allegations that perpetrators are protected, cases are dismissed, or victims are denied equal protection must be investigated independently and transparently.

The Gambella Police Commission and regional authorities have a fundamental responsibility to protect every resident, regardless of ethnicity. However, they choose their duty to protect one community at the expense of another.

Alemitu, the current Gambella President, shield criminals because of their ethnic or political connections. When authorities fail to investigate killings impartially, public confidence collapses and that is what is happening now in Gambella.

When communities believe that justice depends on who the victim is, resentment deepens and the rule of law is undermined and these resembles Gambella.

The response to the recent deaths of Habesha residents has therefore raised a difficult question: why does it take a community’s collective mobilisation for authorities to recognise the urgency of a crisis?

If the Nuer have repeatedly experienced inadequate protection or insufficient accountability, those failures deserve the same seriousness and public attention. Justice cannot be selective. Every life must count equally.

The Cost of Nuer Disunity

Perhaps the most painful part of this crisis is the apparent inability of the Nuer community to sustain a united response to repeated losses.

Instead of building a common platform around civilian protection, justice, and security, Nuer political and community discussions can become consumed by disagreements over appointments, rivalries, and competing interests.

These divisions weaken the community’s ability to demand change.

No political appointment is worth more than a human life. No personal rivalry should outweigh the need to protect families from violence. And no leader should be allowed to treat the suffering of ordinary people as secondary to political calculations.

The Nuer community must recognise that unity does not mean agreeing on every political issue. It means agreeing on fundamental principles: the protection of civilians, equal treatment before the law, independent investigations into killings, and justice for victims.

A united community can demand answers without resorting to violence. It can organise peaceful demonstrations, document incidents, support grieving families, engage religious and traditional leaders, and insist that regional and federal authorities fulfil their responsibilities.

Gambella Vision has been urging Nuer to organise peaceful protests in Addis Ababa and in Gambella town about the killing of the Nuer by Anyuaks everywhere around the region. The response to this suggestion has been appalling.

The authority would not accept it. Did the Habesha particularly the Kamabattas  asked for protest from those who killed them? Definitely not.

A peaceful protest is not a sign of weakness. They are essential tools for protecting a community and preserving its dignity.

Peace Must Not Become an Excuse for Impunity

Calls for peace are necessary, but peace cannot mean asking victims to remain silent while those responsible for violence escape accountability.

Whenever tensions rise, religious leaders, elders, and community representatives are often called upon to mediate. Their contribution can be valuable. However, mediation alone cannot replace criminal investigations, lawful arrests where evidence supports them, and fair judicial proceedings.

Genuine peace requires more than meetings and public statements. It requires the protection of civilians, the identification of those responsible for crimes, and confidence that the law will be applied equally.

No community should be collectively blamed for the actions of particular individuals. Responsibility belongs to the perpetrators and to any officials whose proven misconduct enables or conceals criminal activity.

The same principle applies to every ethnic group in Gambella, whether Nuer, Anyuak, Habesha, or another community.

A sustainable peace cannot be built on ethnic hatred, collective punishment, or selective justice. It must be built on equal citizenship and the protection of every innocent person.

The Nuer Must Organise for Protection and Justice

The response of the Habesha community should prompt serious reflection among Nuer leaders, intellectuals, religious figures, elders, and ordinary citizens.

Why should repeated deaths fail to produce sustained collective action? Why should political disagreements repeatedly overshadow the demand for civilian protection? And why should families who lose loved ones be left feeling that their suffering carries little weight?

These questions deserve honest answers.

Nuer leaders must move beyond statements of sympathy and establish a coordinated, peaceful, and practical approach to civilian protection and accountability. Community representatives should document killings, preserve credible evidence, support affected families, seek independent investigations, and engage national and international institutions where appropriate.

They should also insist that the Gambella authorities explain what measures are being taken to prevent further violence and ensure that investigations are conducted impartially.

The objective must not be revenge against the Anyuak or any other community. Collective retaliation would put more innocent lives at risk and deepen the cycle of violence. The objective must be to end impunity, protect civilians, and ensure that no community is abandoned.

A Final Question for Nuer Leadership

The reported mobilisation of the Habesha community has demonstrated that collective grief can become a powerful demand for accountability. Whether that mobilisation produces lasting improvements in security remains to be seen, but the determination to demand answers should not be ignored.

The Nuer community must draw the right lesson from these events.

We cannot continue to mourn separately, argue among ourselves, and return to business as usual while families continue to fear for their lives. We cannot allow political divisions to undermine our common interest in safety and justice.

Our leaders must listen to the families who have lost loved ones. Our intellectuals must speak honestly. Our elders and religious leaders must help build unity around peaceful action. And our community must insist that the law protect everyone equally.

The death of a Nuer must never be treated as less important than the death of a Habesha, an Anyuak, or any other Ethiopian.

Every innocent life has equal value. Every killing deserves serious investigation. Every family deserves justice.

Gambella does not need another cycle of ethnic confrontation. It needs accountable leadership, impartial law enforcement, civilian protection, and a community-wide commitment to peace and justice.

The question is no longer whether the Nuer should unite around these principles. The question is how much longer we can afford to remain divided while the demand for justice goes unanswered.

This article was produced by Pam Chuol Joack, a Gambella Vision Contributor and an Analyst in Gambella Affair.