Ethiopia: 100 Reported Dead After Soldiers Target Civilians in Gambella
allAfrica.com
15 December 2003
Posted to the web 15 December 2003
Charles Cobb Jr.
Washington, DC
Soldiers in the town of Gambella, 450km (280 miles) west of Addis Ababa,
are reported to have engaged since Saturday in violent attacks against
leading members of a local ethnic group, leaving 100 or more people dead.
But local sources say the soldiers' action looked more like a punishment
operation against Anuak people. A US church source who wished to remain
anonymous for fear of compromising his church's contacts in Gambella, told
allAfrica.com: "It is reported to me that over 200 people have been
killed."
According to this source, the Ethiopian military police on Saturday started
"pulling out educated people and community leaders" and "killing them with
guns or by slitting their throats;" he said local people believed Anuaks
were specifically targeted.
He quoted missionary sources in Addis Ababa as reporting that Anuak
students at Gambella's Teacher Training Institute had been rounded up and
taken away, Monday morning.
He said sources in Gambella city had told him that the Catholic church
compound was full of people taking refuge from the violence and that they
had almost no supplies. "People have not been able to come out of their
compounds for fear of being shot. It is the third day and citizens are
concerned for their children having no food and water," he said.
Citing "chaotic" scenes, he mentioned a case of two people who tried to
retrieve bodies from the street and were themselves shot. A local church
official reported Monday that there were five bodies outside his house but
he could not risk going out to remove them.
A US citizen has reportedly been arrested by the soldiers. Omot Omot Bewar,
formerly a refugee from the area who came to the US seeking asylum is
currently in Gambella on a visit to his former home. According to friends
in Minnesota where he is normally a student, he attempted to video the
violence and was beaten and detained.
A BBC report cited "humanitarian sources" as charging that Anuaks are the
targets of violence by "highland Ethiopians."
The army is "involved in restoring stability and order," an Ethiopian
Defense Ministry spokesperson told Associated Press on condition of
anonymity. She said an investigation is under way.
Recent oil exploration agreements with multinationals have fueled tensions
over land rights amid jockeying for control of potentially lucrative oil
fields. Under a deal signed in June, Petronas has exclusive rights to
"explore and develop" some 15,000 square kilometers in the region, which
borders Sudan - a major African oil producer.
Dear Editor, How much more innocent defensless African civilian families
need to be slaughtered by the Ethiopian government in the services to
Western Oil Corporations???
Ethiopia: 100 Reported Dead After Soldiers Target Civilians in Gambella
allAfrica.com 15 December 2003 Posted to the web 15 December 2003
Charles Cobb Jr. Washington, DC
Soldiers in the town of Gambella, 450km (280 miles) west of Addis Ababa, are reported to have engaged since Saturday in violent attacks against leading members of a local ethnic group, leaving 100 or more people dead. But local sources say the soldiers' action looked more like a punishment operation against Anuak people. A US church source who wished to remain anonymous for fear of compromising his church's contacts in Gambella, told allAfrica.com: "It is reported to me that over 200 people have been killed." According to this source, the Ethiopian military police on Saturday started "pulling out educated people and community leaders" and "killing them with guns or by slitting their throats;" he said local people believed Anuaks were specifically targeted. He quoted missionary sources in Addis Ababa as reporting that Anuak students at Gambella's Teacher Training Institute had been rounded up and taken away, Monday morning. He said sources in Gambella city had told him that the Catholic church compound was full of people taking refuge from the violence and that they had almost no supplies. "People have not been able to come out of their compounds for fear of being shot. It is the third day and citizens are concerned for their children having no food and water," he said. Citing "chaotic" scenes, he mentioned a case of two people who tried to retrieve bodies from the street and were themselves shot. A local church official reported Monday that there were five bodies outside his house but he could not risk going out to remove them. A US citizen has reportedly been arrested by the soldiers. Omot Omot Bewar, formerly a refugee from the area who came to the US seeking asylum is currently in Gambella on a visit to his former home. According to friends in Minnesota where he is normally a student, he attempted to video the violence and was beaten and detained. A BBC report cited "humanitarian sources" as charging that Anuaks are the targets of violence by "highland Ethiopians." The army is "involved in restoring stability and order," an Ethiopian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Associated Press on condition of anonymity. She said an investigation is under way. Recent oil exploration agreements with multinationals have fueled tensions over land rights amid jockeying for control of potentially lucrative oil fields. Under a deal signed in June, Petronas has exclusive rights to "explore and develop" some 15,000 square kilometers in the region, which borders Sudan - a major African oil producer.
Dear Editor, How much more innocent defensless African civilian families need to be slaughtered by the Ethiopian government in the services to Western Oil Corporations???