Gambela_conflict
Gambela conflict
Armed conflict in Gambela Region, Ethiopia
The Gambela conflict refers to sporadic conflicts in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia between armed groups of the indigenous Anuak people with armed groups of the Nuer people, and the Ethiopian military.[1] Following resettlement policies implemented by the Derg regime in the 1980s, a number of ethnic conflicts have taken place between the Anuak people indigenous to much of the Gambela region, and other groups which were resettled in the region.[1] Following the collapse of the Derg regime, persistent ethnic tensions in the region have occasionally exploded into open conflict.[1] Such conflict erupted in the early to mid 2000s, coinciding with an increase in petroleum extraction in the region, and led to a number of incidents resulting in the large-scale deaths of civilians.[1] The Ethiopian military has intervened to combat Anuak militias.[1]
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Updates needed past June 2006. (November 2023) |
Anuak activists have claimed that ethnic Anuaks in Ethiopia have suffered from torture, indiscriminate killings, looting, and discrimination from various other minority militias operating in the country, as well as from the Ethiopian government itself.[2][3][4] The Ethiopian government has denied that its military was involved in attacks on Anuaks, and instead attributed violence in the region to local ethnic militias.[5] Others have alleged that Anuak militias have committed human rights abuses against other groups, such as killing Nuer civilians.[6][7]