Gambella needs truth and reconciliation to heal the all wounds not revenge

Gambella, January 31, 2016 (GMN) - Not so long ago, when Gambella regional state hosted the most popular outdoor festival in Ethiopia, the 10th Nations and Nationalities and People's Day celebrated with joy, love and unity in diversity.  Anyuak, Nuer, Mazhenger, komo and Opo live together side by side in peace and harmony for many years until recently when  two individuals citizen a driver of deputy president engineer Olero from Anyauk and College deputy dean from Nure argued over the land allocation ownership which end up arresting deputy dean for firing a shotgun at the individuals.

One of Gambella resident told Gambella Media that, since the incident things never been the same in Gambella town. He added as a result, nuer students at the college compound very upset and took revenge by throwing bomb in to Anyuak students' residence miraculously; no one was killed except minor injury. Then Anyuak students took revenge and responded by throwing stones at nure students' residence. Then the violence escalated and Anyuak students complain to local authority to move nuer students to Newland, after local  and federal police successfully removed nuer students from their residence,  extremists nures re-organized and came back with  bomb and A-47 and started  attacking by killing innocent Anyuak people and burnt down their houses in Omenniga and Ajoulagala at large.

Gambella right now needs love not hatred, Gambella needs peace not violence and Gambella needs truth and reconciliation not a revenge to restore peace and stability in the region. This is the time for all Gambellan seniors, elders and officials to unite against extremists and bring them to justices , our leaders shouldn't take  sides  in this conflict and  say no to violence and yes to peace and unity, "Divided we fall, united we stand".

Gambella home and Diaspora, Let's open our eyes and ears to the God and learn how to solve conflict resolution in civilize ways, let's not incite the violence, let's serve as a model to our neighbor, south Soudan and demonstrate how Anyuak, Nure, Mezhenger, Komo and Opo live together in peace and harmony. Don't let spill over from South Sudan and ant- peace and development elements to take advantage of this opportunity to achieve their goals by dividing us ethnically. Let's fight our common enemy poverty not our ethnic based clash. My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy in Gambella these days. Words can’t express the horror everyone feels in seeing such evil manifested against innocent people. Nothing could be worse than the murder of innocent children. Let’s all pray for all the victims, their families, and the whole Gambella regional state.

Peace and love always, God bless and save Gambella's people and region!

The author can be reached, Alem Taddesse @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

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