Prime Minister’s Right Hand Man is a Nuer Killer

Gambella has become a recycling centre for controversy, where individuals accused of serious wrongdoing can leave one public office only to emerge in another.

In an orderly country governed by the rule of law, those credibly accused of serious crimes would face independent investigations and, where evidence warrants prosecution would, rotten in jails.

In Ethiopia, particularly in Gambella, however, serious allegations of wrongdoing have raised concerns that political connections can matter more than accountability.

One striking example is the case of Omot Ojulu, the former President of Gambella National and Regional State, who was subsequently appointed by Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed as Deputy Minister of Peace in the federal government.

From Regional President to Deputy Minister of Peace

Omot Ojulu’s political record raises serious questions about accountability for the violence that affected Nuer communities between May 2023 and July 2024.

During his tenure particularly in that period, Nuer communities suffered killings and displacement in Berbereseb and Newland in Gambella town and in Itang Special Woreda where the violence started.

The Violence was carried by GPLM (Gambella People’s Liberation Movement) which is a ruthless Anyuak killer machine supported by the Gambella National and Regional State under Omot leadership.

The Kebeles inhabited by the Nuer in Itang such as Puldeng, Pulkotka, Tielul and Itang town itself came under series of attacks. Omot Organised transports for the GPLM Anyuak expedition to Puldeng which resulted in the death of 05 Nuer civilians and dozens injured.

Government vehicles were used to transport the Anyuak Fighters such as cars belonging to the Police Commission Office. Even those vehicles that provide services for the Nuer Government workers such as the deputy police commission at the time Ato Mulugeta Rut were used by the Anyuak.

The Nuer government workers found themselves powerless because those who speak up do not only loose jobs but they get targeted

Ruach Gatbel, Targetted and killed by Omot

and loose their lives as a result. Such a case was for late Ruach Gatbel who was the former security chief for Gambella under Federal Government Appointment.

After the Nuer were killed by Anyuak in a broad day light in Gambella city centre, the Anyuak especially Ogat Ading, the former Gambella communication Minister, misinformed the federal agencies in Addis Ababa that the Nuer were killed 10kms away from Gambella’s outskirts by rebels.

Ruach disputed that and for telling the truth, the Anyuak targetted him faked a meeting at night where he was killed and the body was later  dumped n his front door to confuse others that the Anyuak got nothing to do with his death.

Close to a thousand of Nuer civilians perished under Omot’s regional administration. These allegations had never been investigated independently or if they did, Omot pour in the state resources to independent body that came from federal government through bribery.  These federal agents return back to Addis Ababa as millionaires as  state resources are used by the Anyuak to buy their lonegevity in power. .

The report these corrupt federal agencies give to the Prime Minister Dr Abiy was that Omot is fine and the Gambella issue is a family matter which will get better through church meetings and community elders.

However, the Anyuak threat is real. They want Gambella free from Nuer and Habesha. They are slowly driving these communities out of Gambella by terror. The Nuer started fleeing especially those with the means. The rich fled to Ethiopian Highland and the poor went to the Nuer Zone with limited service.

Part of Gambella town and many areas in Itang Special Areas the Nuer used to occupy have become ghost as Nuer with the means are now educating their children in Addis Ababa, Oromia, Hawassa and as far as Mizan Tefferi in South West Ethiopia Region.

What Gambella saw under Prosperity Government is a joke. The Prime Minister see the Gambella victims simply as numbers. But in fact these victims were mothers, children, patients and ordinary civilians entitled to protection under the law.

Families lost loved ones, communities were displaced, and survivors were left with painful questions about why those responsible had not been held accountable.

The Ethiopian Constitution protects the right to life. No government official, military commander or armed group should be permitted to violate that right with impunity.

There were credible evidence that points to unlawful killings but those responsible such as Omot never faced an independent investigation let alone a day in court.

A Culture of Impunity

There was also other deaths on the roads where civilians were being killed in ambulances, buses, private vehicles and their own homes and that

Minibus Ambushed and Passengers Killed in Abol by Anyuak Terrorists

intensified concerns about the security situation in Gambella.

Such allegations although visible as vehicles were damaged or destroyed and people maimed or injured were never investigated impartially. The Federal Government which has the power to remove and reappont regional leaders forgot the fact that every victim deserves justice especially in Gambella.

The recent killing of Habesha civilians by Anyuaks shielded by Alemitu may not be troubling for those who have seen and watched Nuer deaths since 2023.

This in no doubt raises questions among the mind of many whether the failure to ensure accountability for earlier violence has contributed to a wider culture of impunity.

Violence does not emerge in a political vacuum. When serious allegations are ignored, victims are denied justice, and powerful individuals face no visible consequences, the resulting message can be dangerous: those with political influence may escape accountability.

There are also concerns about allegations that serious incidents involving Nuer civilians were treated as family or community matters and referred to church meetings or community elders rather than being subjected to proper legal scrutiny.

Traditional reconciliation can have an important role in restoring relationships, but it cannot replace criminal investigations into alleged unlawful killings.

Justice cannot be replaced by a meeting, and accountability cannot be replaced by political connections.

The Pulkota Tragedy

The violence in Pulkota and Puldeng remains a deeply troubling chapter in Gambella’s intercommunal tensions.

According to accounts cited in this controversy, an Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) stormed Pulkota village at dawn and that resulted in the deaths of 16 Nuer civilians, while eight ENDF members also lost their lives during the confrontation with armed Nuer fighters.

Nuer cow killed in Makhot by ENDF

A dozen of cows were also killed in the shoot out as the village was stormed at dawn  while the cattle were still in their bays.

Omot Ojulu improperly influenced the operation including claims of bribery involving rogue ENDF military personnel. The commander who led the operation was remove from his service in Gambella.

But Nuer victims who were killed for no reason were left in limbo where no credible evidence and independent investigation were made. The circumstances of the operation, the orders given, the conduct of the forces involved and the deaths of civilians must all be examined. But the ENDF or the Gambella or Omot did nothing. Instead they told the fleeing residents to come back.

The deaths of Nuer civilians cannot be dismissed as an unavoidable consequence of a security operation without establishing what actually happened. Equally, the deaths of ENDF personnel must be accounted for. A credible investigation should establish responsibility on all sides and ensure that any proven wrongdoing is addressed through the law.

If public officials used their positions to facilitate unlawful violence, they should not be protected from accountability. If the allegations cannot be substantiated, that too should be established through a credible process.

Why Was Omot Ojulu Promoted Instead of Facing Public Scrutiny?

This is where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government faces a serious question.

After Omot left the regional presidency, he did not disappear from public life. Instead, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Peace, a senior position in a government that is supposed to promote reconciliation, security and peaceful coexistence.

What happened to the allegations concerning the killings and displacement of Nuer civilians? Were they investigated independently? Were the reported deaths in Pulkota examined? Were affected families given an opportunity to seek justice?

If these matters were investigated, the government should be transparent about the findings, subject to legitimate legal and privacy restrictions. If they were not, why were serious allegations left unresolved while the official concerned advanced to another powerful position?

The issue is not whether an individual should be declared guilty without a fair hearing. The issue is whether credible allegations of grave abuses are being treated seriously and consistently.

Appointing a person facing unresolved allegations to a senior peace-related position risks undermining public confidence in the government. A Deputy Minister of Peace should represent a commitment to justice and reconciliation, not become a symbol of unanswered questions about past violence.

A Dangerous Message to Other Leaders

When an official moves from one powerful position to another despite serious unresolved allegations, what message does that send to other leaders?

It risks suggesting that political loyalty is more valuable than civilian lives, that accountability is negotiable, and that victims from politically marginalised communities can be forgotten.

Such a precedent does not deter violence. It weakens the institutions meant to prevent it.

Gambella’s continuing instability cannot be addressed through political appointments alone. Sustainable peace requires impartial law enforcement, credible investigations, protection for vulnerable communities and accountability for anyone found responsible for serious abuses.

The federal government must also demonstrate that it protects all communities equally. Nuer civilians should not be treated as less deserving of justice than Anyuak civilians or members of any other ethnic group. The same standard must apply to every victim and every alleged perpetrator.

Alemitu and the Continuation of the Status Quo

Following Omot’s departure from the regional presidency, the federal government appointed another Anyuak leader, Alemitu, to lead Gambella. Critics have alleged that the problems surrounding the protection of Nuer communities continued under her administration, including reports of killings in Tharpaam.

These allegations also require investigation. If civilians were unlawfully killed and the authorities failed to protect them or investigate the incidents, those failures must be addressed. No administration should be allowed to escape scrutiny simply because its leaders belong to a particular ethnic group.

The central issue is not the ethnicity of a president. It is whether that president protects all citizens, respects the law and ensures that serious allegations of violence are investigated.

If the same failures continue from one administration to the next, Gambella’s people have every reason to question whether the political leadership is genuinely committed to peace.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Must Answer

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government must explain how individuals facing serious allegations concerning past violence are assessed before being appointed to senior public positions.

Were the allegations against Omot Ojulu examined before he became Deputy Minister of Peace? What steps were taken to establish the facts surrounding the reported killings of Nuer civilians? What happened to the complaints of affected families? And what safeguards are in place to ensure that allegations of ethnic violence are investigated without favouritism?

These are legitimate questions about public accountability, not a demand to bypass due process.

Gambella cannot build lasting peace on silence, selective justice or political patronage. Nor can the government restore public confidence by simply moving officials from one office to another while leaving serious allegations unanswered.

A government that appoints leaders to promote peace must also demonstrate that it takes allegations of violence seriously.

The people of Gambella deserve more than promises. They deserve a government that protects their lives, investigates credible allegations and ensures that no official is above the law.

Until accountability becomes a reality rather than a political slogan, the cycle of violence, mistrust and instability in Gambella will remain difficult to quell.

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