Date: 8/04/2018
Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) on behave of Gambelia People congratulate PM Abiy Ahmed for being appointment as Prime Minister of Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia and appreciated the people of Oromo who had produced a talented person like him to be a saviour of future New Ethiopia. Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) would pass a heartfelt gratitude to Dr Abiy Ahmed and Oromo Regional’s parliament who had nominated him for the position and won it gloriously for the first time in history of the nation.
Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) is an opposition party struggling to bring a change to New Ethiopia in terms of justice, human right, democratic values such as freedom of speech and demonstration in general and in particular to free Gambella people from oppression, marginalisation, exclusion, imprisonment, massacre, land grabbing, intimidation, discrimination, displacement and force exile to vacate the land for the so-call investors.
Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) did appreciate PM Dr Abiy Ahmed inauguration speech when he mention Gambella participation in defending Ethiopia during dark periods it has passed through. It is first time for a leader in Ethiopia to mention Gambella People’s participation in history making.
Always, when you talk about Gambella as a region, the burden lay on one tribe (Anuak tribe). It was the Anuaks who participated in WWII against Italy, Ogaden war against Somalia, both Eritrea wars, and struggle against Fascist Derg to topple communist regime. In all these wars none of Ethiopia leaders has given us any acknowledgement as PM Dr Abiy Ahmed has done and none of the heroes who had scarified in these wars have been rewarded a medal or a military ranks (even a Sergeant rank. Nowhere in history of Ethiopia have our participation in history making and heroes’ names been mentioned. Even PM Dr Abiy Ahmed’s predecessors (TPLF/EPDRF leaders) has ignored scarifies paid by Gambella People Liberation Movement (GPLM) who had been struggling alongside TPLF/EPDRE to bring the current regime PM Dr Abiy Ahmed is going to lead.
TPLF/EPDRF had destroyed GPLM as it did to Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in hatred and disempowered the Anuaks who fought for the change by neutralizing Nuer’s refugees from South Sudan purposely to hand over regional government power to them.
Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) has appreciated PM Dr Abiy Ahmed bold speech when said, “Gambella, Somalia, Afar and Benishangul regions are marginalised and excluded from participating in central government policies making that run the country’s affairs”. How shameful it was for Ethiopia governments who have treated theses group of society as a trash of garbage when it comes to their needs and take them as silver-bullet when our sovereignty is challenged by enemies.
We have been deprived of meaningful development and suffered with damaging economy policies that ruin our culture and values imposed on us without our participation in designing those policies. Again we would thank PM Dr Abiy Ahmed for his concern for the so-call undeveloped regions development. Our being undeveloped or uncivilised as it used to be sang or chatted as a slogan in Ethiopia parliament for decades, is an intentional act of the ruling regimes. If the governments knew we are undeveloped or uncivilised what would have been the solution?
Currently, we are seeing a divide and rule development policy in Gambella. In another word, it is irresponsible way of administration intended to bring ethnic’s conflict or a preparatory exercise for cession of Gambella to South Sudan. TPLF/EPDRF’s government is favouring Nuer tribe than any tribe in the region. Even it has grown Nuer population exponentially and neutralised South Sudan’s refugees illegally to overwhelm the population of Anuak tribe who occupies the large land mass and population. It wasn’t a crime for the Anuaks to host South Sudanese’s refugees in their land. It is a pride to the nation of hosting South Sudanese’s refugees for six decades at the expense of the Anuaks. Anuaks should have been glorify for their generosity rather than being discriminated and disempower in their own land and country.
However, Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) is struggling to stop all issues mentioned above. It became an opposition party because of lack of democracy, good governance, mistreatment and genocide to Anuaks tribe who is the backbone of Ethiopia in any issues concerning national’s obligation and accountability.
Therefore, for new administration lead by PM Dr Abiy Ahmed to reconcile with the oppressed, marginalised and discriminated people of Gambella, Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) is requesting his authority to change and improve the following GRM’s concerns:
- Reconsideration for political power distribution. The current Gambella regional power is not hold citizens, but migrants’ refugees of South Sudan who have double stand or dangerous secret plan which will test the sovereignty of the nation in the future.
- As PM Dr Abiy Ahmed has mentioned in his speech to fight corruption, he need to work hard to stop corruption in Gambella region. Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) is demanding anti-corruption commission to investigate corruption in Gambella region. Our tax payers’ money has been use by regional authority inappropriately to the point where Gambella regional development’s budget has been shifted to South Sudan to train South Sudan’s opposition SPLM IO guerrilla fighter to fight against South Sudan’s government.
- GRM is haunted by the massacre of the Anuaks on 13 December 2003. It doesn’t want to see citizens in Oromia and Amhara region being massacre daily for demanding their democratic rights. To bring the peace and reconciliation GRM would request PM Dr Abiy Ahmed new administration to left up the state of emergence immediately.
- Gambella region has been levelled as undeveloped region for years. A solution to development is to give a development a chance in the region. As PM Dr Abiy Ahmed is concern about the development in the backwards regions such as Gambella, Gambella Regional Movement (GRM) is demanding a fair development policy in terms of health centres, schools, roads and others social services. For example, the Anuaks zone which levy more tax to federal government than any zone in the region has no asphalted road that links districts with Gambella’s capital town “Gambella”.
- South Sudan’s refugees has been causing series damages to indigenous population of Gambella region for the last 63 years in particular to the Anuak tribe. Refugees has been destroying our culture, environment, wildlife, water, fish and human lives. Hundreds of Anuaks has been killed by refugees in Pinyudo, Itang and Jor villages and many children have been abducted. None of the perpetrators have not been held accountable for the crime they had committed. South Sudan’s refugees have undermined the sovereign of the country and killed prisoners in government’s prison and lower the national flag and raise South Sudan’s flag declaring that Gambella is a South Sudan state while we’ve defence force in town watching the event and remained silent for unknown reason.
Gambella Regional (GRM) is sick and tired of all these abuses committed by South Sudanese and their refugees to Gambella indigenous. GRM would demand the new government to formulate a strict law that prevent refugees from committing crimes and devastating our natural resources and most important is to repatriate them to their country since there is no war for independence of South Sudan anymore.
My God Bless Ethiopia!
Peoples’ struggle will win!
Gambella Regional Movement’s Executive Committee
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