Gambella Vision has learned of the recent arrest of the suspects believed to be behind the brutal
Cow wounded in Makhot by the ENDF
killing of two brothers and severely wounding of their father in Makot Kebele, Itang Special Woreda.
The tragedy shocked communities across the region, intensifying long-standing fears about rising violence and the lack of meaningful justice for the victims.
While the swift arrest of the alleged perpetrators is an important first step, Gambella Vision emphasizes that arresting suspects today and only to release them tomorrow has become a painful pattern that offers no sense of justice to grieving families and no deterrence to those who commit hate-driven crimes.
This is in regard to the release of the killer of University Lecturer, Duoth Chot Nen. Duoth was killed by an Anyuak from Itang woreda and the killer is walking free not only enjoying life but also within reach of committing more violent should he wishes to do so.
In contrast, Duoth is rotten in grave. His family he used to support are now in destitute as he was the bread earner. This system of tribal favouritism and mindset would need to change because the leniency based on ethnical lines would only encourage more violent.
It is also fair to say that the weak justice system is not across the board but only for the murderers and violent criminals from the Anyuak community who commit heinous crimes on other tribes in the region.
The Nuer who are accused of having some role to play in Gambella Violent receives harshest penalties while their Anyuak counterparts walks free.
One of the inmates in Gambella Prison currently serving a lengthy sentence was sent to jail at the onset of the violent under President Omot after being accused of attempting to kill an Anyuak.
The victim survived but the one who killed his brother was never brought to justice. He is also enjoying life in Itang committing more violent. From the time of the violent outbreak under Omot to the current President, many Nuer have been killed.
The killers, such as the November 14 bus attack, have never been brought to justice. Those who have been brought to justice are either being released or gets transfer from Gambella Prison to the Anyuak Zone to serve their jail terms there. You would be a fool to believe that they would be kept in captivity in Anyuak zone.
One Police Officer who involved in the killings of Nuer was released from the Gambella Prison to be jailed in Abobo. When Puldeng was attacked by Anyuak gun men, who at the time wanted to dislodge Nuer from Puldeng, he was eliminated by the villagers of Puldeng in self-defence.
This could have prompted many questions about how he managed to be in Puldeng when in fact he was serving a jail term in Abobo. The Gambella Vision urges Mrs Alemitu and Dr Gatluak to take a different path unlike their predecessors if they want to see Gambella prosper and peaceful.
They must take a bold and uncompromising measures which includes passing clear and enforceable laws that classify attack base on ethnicity as hate crimes. In the United States, hate crimes are punishable by death, not life sentences.
In Gambella, there needs to be penalties strong enough to ensure that justice is delivered and that would serve to stop the recurrence of violence.
Community members from both Anyuak and the Nuer would need to call for life imprisonment without parole for those found guilty of targeted, hate-motivated killings. Anything less will send a wrong signal that the lives taken were of little value.
Without firm action, the justice system will continue to be seen as ineffective, a system where serious crimes are treated as routine cases and released offenders return to commit violence again.
For families who have lost loved ones, justice delayed or denied is not only unacceptable, but also traumatic. The voices rising from Itang, Makot, and across the region are clear: Gambella needs stronger laws, stronger institutions, and a justice system that protects innocent people before another family suffers the same fate.
This article is prepared by Pam Chuol Joack.
A Gambella Vision Contributor.
