Sunday, September 6, 2015
Part II. Impact of Sudan Civil War on the Anyuak
From
May 1983, the numbers of refugees grew rapidly, and by the end of 1987, four
camps had been established in Gambella region alone according to International
Institute for Strategic Studies (1988-1989). These were related to SPLA bases
and training centers.
The
main refugee camps and SPLA centers were:
●
Itang,
situated about 30 k.m. west of Gambella town, and about 50 k.m. from Sudan
border, it was first place where soldiers were brought when they crossed to
Ethiopia in May/June 1983 and it was where the SPLA/M was first constituted. An
official refugee camp was established there until all the camps were evacuated
in May/June 1991 with a population estimated to be between 100,000- 250,000.
●
Bilpam,
about 40 k.m. south-west of Itang. In May 1983, it was already the base of the
Anyanya II guerrillas but later SPLA/M chased out those who did not want to
join SPLA. Bilpam became the headquarters of the SPLA and site for military
training.
●
Bonga
which is about 40 k.m east of Gambella town, is the site of an Ethiopian
military training school and it was shared by SPLA. SPLA managed its own
section and was allowed to administer its own internal discipline there on its
own authority.
●
Zinc
training center, near Gambella town. It was an Ethiopian training center
signalers, intelligence work and ideological instruction and it was also shared
with the SPLA. It was attached to a barracks. Senior officers of the SPLA would
sometimes stay there of security reason.
●
Dima
on Akobo river is about 100 k.m. south-east of Pinyudo and 100 k.m. north east
of Boma, S. Sudan. A refugee camp was established there in August 1986, when
the official number of Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia had topped the 100,000
mark.
●
Pinyudo
was, about 100 k.m. south of Gambella town, 74 and 54 k.m. north-east of the
order town of Pochalla. A refugee camp was opened there in December 1987, to
relieve the pressure on Itang after the influx in the middle of that year.
Dr.
Kwacakworo stated that the Anyuak did not have joy for the new movement perhaps
they did not live near Arab where they experience oppression or did not get any
reward from the regional government after supporting the previous South
Sudanese armed struggle called Anyanya
one. The Anyuak had a high ranking commander Joseph Otieo Akwon in Anyanya
one who was a general command of Upper Nile region. Otieo was assassinated by
his own fellow S. Sudanese forces under the leadership of Joseph Lagu after
refusing to sign Addis Ababa peace accord in part he saw it as a flaw not a
lasting solution to the Southerner's injustice. Joseph Lagu was the head of the
Anyanya one. It was believed that Lagu was bribed by the Arab government to
assassinate Otieo for the south Sudanese struggle to disintegrate. Indeed,
things did fall apart after the peace agreement was signed in 1972.
Impact of Sudan Civil War on the Anyuak
Part I: Impact of Sudan Civil War on the Anyuak
At
the time when the second liberation struggle of South Sudanese broke out, their
best area for military training and logistic is the Gambella region of
Ethiopia. The first South Sudanese armed struggle against North Sudan from
1955-1972 and the second one was 1983-2005. The southerners struggle was to
free themselves from Islamic beliefs imposed on them by the dominant Arab
government and attempt to divert south Sudan’s Nile water resources to Egypt
through an infamous project known as Jonglei Canal. Jonglei Canal digging was started
in 1978 by a machine known as “Bucketwheel” that was brought in from Pakistan
after completing 101 km canal there between the Indus and Jhelum rivers.
Sudanese hydrologist Yahia Abdel Magid refurbished the Bucketwheel and brought
it to Sudan. It was the world’s largest excavator weighing over 2,100 tons. The
Bucketwheel has 12 giant buckets about 3 cubic meters each and hung on a
circular wheel that measures 12.5 meters in diameter which dig earth and dump
it onto a transmission belt, which deposit it on the bank. At a full speed, the
Bucketwheel can excavate 2km a week but requires 10,000 gallons of gasoline per
24 hours (Dr. Tanya Furman and Dr. Laura Guertin) Professors of Geosciences at
Pennsylvania State University.
By 1983
the Bucketwheel had completed 180 km of 360-km and the machine was put
to rest in peace after it was hit by a missile which neither north or south
Sudanese army took responsibility. Had it was completed, it would have had good
benefits to improve and increase
irrigation of farmland in both Sudan and Egypt however it could have had
a catastrophic effect on the swampland environment, humans and the wildlife.
The canal could have drained the swampland known as the Sudd by 36% reducing
the wetlands that is needed for grazing and wildlife habitat. It was estimated
that over two million people live in the area and their way of life could have
been devastated.
The southerners are predominantly Christians
and traditional believers. Arab government failed to honor the first peace
accord signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1972. Eleven years later the north
came up with more strict Islamic laws. Jonglei Canal Project also anger the
southerners which led to formation of Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
"The
Islamic Arab agenda is the cause of the
(civil) war and the cause of the suffering. It is a choice between slavery and
freedom. What is life worth to be at peace when you are a slave in your own
country? ---The engine which drives the war is injustice." Dr. John
Garang.
SPLA
was formed in Gambella, Ethiopia then started guerrilla warfare against the
government of Islamic Arab Sudan. Due to this, there was major influx of south
Sudanese to the Anyuak land including Gambella region. Kenya peace accord known
as Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in 2005 paved the way for
South Sudan to succeed and it became world's newest country in July, 2011.
“Sudan
cannot and will never be the same again as this peace agreement will engulf the
country in democratic and fundamental transformation instead of being engulfed
in was…If this does not work then we will have to look for other solutions. Such
as a spirit in the country. But we believe that a new Sudan is possible, for
there are many in the north who share with us…a belief in the universal ideals
of humanity.” Dr. John Garang, Jan 9, 2005 when Signing CPA
I
feel blessed to have lived the experience. I have witnessed masses of south
Sudanese coming to the Anyuak land. They were exhausted, dying on roads/deserts of hunger, thirst and and heat waves. Before reaching to the Anyuak land,
they were on constant attack by their fellow south Sudanese Murle and Nuer
respectively. Reaching to the Anyuak land was like reaching to shore after
swimming a sea full of killer sharks. A breathe of life at last. It was world most catastrophic situation to imagine.
The
Anyuak being agriculturalists, they were able to provide food assistance and
whatever they have to assist the refugees. They did it on their generosity and
conscience. The Anyuak are known for their friendly and welcoming character. As
time goes by, they got overwhelmed by numbers of refugees coming from Sudan.
The number of refugees have exceeded 300,000 (Dr. Kwacakworo, 1993). Worse so,
there were no screening centers at the border to assist the refugees before
heading to refugee and military training camps in the deep inside of the Gambella
region.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Anyuak Share Tales of Rich Culture and Uphill History at Minnesota State University Mankato
Anuak Share Tales of Rich Culture and Uphill History April 4, 2006 Pat Delaney
Anyuak means “share.” That is what the local Anuak community members did Saturday night when they hosted their cultural celebration event in the CSU Ballroom. The Anuak shared their culture including cultural dances, music and food as well as the story of their difficult history. “This is the first annual Anuak cultural celebration,” said Michael Fagin, dean of institutional diversity at MSU. Fagin said the goal of the evening was for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to have a better understanding of Anuak culture, as well as current political and economic problems done through presentations of art, dancing, music and food,” Fagin said.
Guest speakers at the event included Anuak themselves, Fagin, professor Doug Ganss, and Mankato Mayor John Brady. Fagin read a letter by Sen. Norm Coleman. Other speakers included long-time social worker Jill Anderson, Partners in Africa representative Paul Lindberg and journalist Doug McGill, who has written extensively about the Anuak and traveled to Ethiopia. “We’re here to stay,” said Okony Cham, an Anuak student at MSU. The reason for this is largely the troubled history of the Anuak people who come from the Gambella region of Africa, located in southwestern Ethiopia. “We come here like orphans,” Cham said. “Thank God for giving the Anuak the U.S.A. If the Anuak had been without it, I would have been dead a long time ago.” The troubled history of the Anuak was the topic of Lero Odola, a former Sudanese congressman. Odola and others made the point in their presentations that the Anuak are a distinct cultural group different from the groups that surround them, such as the Nuer in Sudan or the “Highlanders in other parts of Ethiopia.
Gambella, the area the Anuak come from, is a resource-rich area that contains fertile soil, water resources and recently discovered oil. During the Sudanese civil war, Odola, said refugees were placed in Anuak communities and the Ethiopian famine resulted in many Highlanders being placed in Anuak villages. McGill said this led to violence against the Anuak, who were unarmed due to periodic sweeps by the Ethiopian government, which removed their arms. McGill said it was a recipe for violence, and when there was a dispute, the Nuer or Highlanders were armed and the Anuak were not. “They were only too happy if the Nuer, as proxies of the Ethiopian government, murdered Anuak,” said McGill, explaining Ethiopia’s stance toward the Anuak. “Killing has been going on-since 1955,” said Odola. The events of Dec. 13, 2003 were a large part of the evening’s discussions. On that day, the Ethiopian military killed 420 Anuak, according to McGill and others, including human rights organizations Genocide Watch and Human Rights Watch. Violence, rape and the burning of houses followed, according to reports by said human rights organizations. “Four-hundred twenty of the relatives of the people in this were killed,” McGill said. On the day of the massacre, McGill said, Anuak students he knew in Minnesota were listening to the violence in Gambella on their cell phones. Odola expressed his discontent about the lack of media coverage concerning the December 13, 2003 incidents and what followed. “[A lot of people are] focusing on Darfur, [but] nobody is talking about December 13, 2003, no ongoing media,”
Odola said. “Anuak are being killed everyday.” McGill said because of the violence in Gambella, many of the “best and brightest” of the Anuak leaders are now living in Minnesota. Speakers Ganss and Fagin spoke about helping the Anuak in Minnesota and how the Anuak present the state with rich cultural gifts. “(There are) no other people I’ve had a greater honor to work with,” said Ganss. He spoke fondly of the Anuak’s “visions of hope” and “democratic nature”. He and Fagin spoke of similarities between the Anuak and Native Americans. Ganss said the Anuak are in a parallel situation to that of Native Americans because they are “facing possible extinction” because of “genocidal polices being carried out” against them. Ganss said there were things the community should do to help immigrants, including “developing the type of jobs immigrants can work in, including socially responsible childcare and possibilities to learn the English language,” better college access opportunities and attention to older youth. Ganss also said there should be more appreciation for their culture and ability to preserve their culture to make their “Americanization” easier. The event also contained political support for the Anuak. Fagin read a letter sent by Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman.
“The sad events of December 2003 brought me fully aware of the Anuak people in Minnesota, and also of your family and friends suffering from horrible violence- In response to our joint concerns, I contacted my colleagues in the United States Senate, the State Department, the U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Prime Minister Meles to demand that the United States pressure Ethiopia on this issue, and to work to ensure that the violence cease, the refugees return home, and those responsible be held accountable-This is a day for recognition, renewed determination and celebration. I hope that this Anuak day is a wonderful day of hope, prayer and brotherhood. Thank you for your contributions to our state,” said Coleman in the letter. Mankato Mayor John Brady attended the event to learn about Anuak culture. “I will be a champion for the cultural richness you bring to Mankato,” Brady said. He spoke of his own travels to Africa and juxtaposed it against his own experiences. “I grew up a privileged little white boy in southern Minnesota. “I didn’t realize how privileged I was,” Brady said. “There is so much pain in the world. The pain in Africa is immense.” “Thanks for bringing richness to this beautiful valley,” Brady said. A traditional Anuak meal was served as well as lively cultural dances. Jon Swedien is a Reporter staff writer Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) More
Anyuak means “share.” That is what the local Anuak community members did Saturday night when they hosted their cultural celebration event in the CSU Ballroom. The Anuak shared their culture including cultural dances, music and food as well as the story of their difficult history. “This is the first annual Anuak cultural celebration,” said Michael Fagin, dean of institutional diversity at MSU. Fagin said the goal of the evening was for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to have a better understanding of Anuak culture, as well as current political and economic problems done through presentations of art, dancing, music and food,” Fagin said.
Guest speakers at the event included Anuak themselves, Fagin, professor Doug Ganss, and Mankato Mayor John Brady. Fagin read a letter by Sen. Norm Coleman. Other speakers included long-time social worker Jill Anderson, Partners in Africa representative Paul Lindberg and journalist Doug McGill, who has written extensively about the Anuak and traveled to Ethiopia. “We’re here to stay,” said Okony Cham, an Anuak student at MSU. The reason for this is largely the troubled history of the Anuak people who come from the Gambella region of Africa, located in southwestern Ethiopia. “We come here like orphans,” Cham said. “Thank God for giving the Anuak the U.S.A. If the Anuak had been without it, I would have been dead a long time ago.” The troubled history of the Anuak was the topic of Lero Odola, a former Sudanese congressman. Odola and others made the point in their presentations that the Anuak are a distinct cultural group different from the groups that surround them, such as the Nuer in Sudan or the “Highlanders in other parts of Ethiopia.
Gambella, the area the Anuak come from, is a resource-rich area that contains fertile soil, water resources and recently discovered oil. During the Sudanese civil war, Odola, said refugees were placed in Anuak communities and the Ethiopian famine resulted in many Highlanders being placed in Anuak villages. McGill said this led to violence against the Anuak, who were unarmed due to periodic sweeps by the Ethiopian government, which removed their arms. McGill said it was a recipe for violence, and when there was a dispute, the Nuer or Highlanders were armed and the Anuak were not. “They were only too happy if the Nuer, as proxies of the Ethiopian government, murdered Anuak,” said McGill, explaining Ethiopia’s stance toward the Anuak. “Killing has been going on-since 1955,” said Odola. The events of Dec. 13, 2003 were a large part of the evening’s discussions. On that day, the Ethiopian military killed 420 Anuak, according to McGill and others, including human rights organizations Genocide Watch and Human Rights Watch. Violence, rape and the burning of houses followed, according to reports by said human rights organizations. “Four-hundred twenty of the relatives of the people in this were killed,” McGill said. On the day of the massacre, McGill said, Anuak students he knew in Minnesota were listening to the violence in Gambella on their cell phones. Odola expressed his discontent about the lack of media coverage concerning the December 13, 2003 incidents and what followed. “[A lot of people are] focusing on Darfur, [but] nobody is talking about December 13, 2003, no ongoing media,”
Odola said. “Anuak are being killed everyday.” McGill said because of the violence in Gambella, many of the “best and brightest” of the Anuak leaders are now living in Minnesota. Speakers Ganss and Fagin spoke about helping the Anuak in Minnesota and how the Anuak present the state with rich cultural gifts. “(There are) no other people I’ve had a greater honor to work with,” said Ganss. He spoke fondly of the Anuak’s “visions of hope” and “democratic nature”. He and Fagin spoke of similarities between the Anuak and Native Americans. Ganss said the Anuak are in a parallel situation to that of Native Americans because they are “facing possible extinction” because of “genocidal polices being carried out” against them. Ganss said there were things the community should do to help immigrants, including “developing the type of jobs immigrants can work in, including socially responsible childcare and possibilities to learn the English language,” better college access opportunities and attention to older youth. Ganss also said there should be more appreciation for their culture and ability to preserve their culture to make their “Americanization” easier. The event also contained political support for the Anuak. Fagin read a letter sent by Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman.
“The sad events of December 2003 brought me fully aware of the Anuak people in Minnesota, and also of your family and friends suffering from horrible violence- In response to our joint concerns, I contacted my colleagues in the United States Senate, the State Department, the U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Prime Minister Meles to demand that the United States pressure Ethiopia on this issue, and to work to ensure that the violence cease, the refugees return home, and those responsible be held accountable-This is a day for recognition, renewed determination and celebration. I hope that this Anuak day is a wonderful day of hope, prayer and brotherhood. Thank you for your contributions to our state,” said Coleman in the letter. Mankato Mayor John Brady attended the event to learn about Anuak culture. “I will be a champion for the cultural richness you bring to Mankato,” Brady said. He spoke of his own travels to Africa and juxtaposed it against his own experiences. “I grew up a privileged little white boy in southern Minnesota. “I didn’t realize how privileged I was,” Brady said. “There is so much pain in the world. The pain in Africa is immense.” “Thanks for bringing richness to this beautiful valley,” Brady said. A traditional Anuak meal was served as well as lively cultural dances. Jon Swedien is a Reporter staff writer Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) More
Anyuak Culture Day Coming Saturday April 19, 2007
The Anyuak Student Association will have their second annual Anyuak/Gambella Culture Day Saturday in the CSU Ballroom. The event, which starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m., will include Anyuak music, dancing and food. Several speakers will also highlight the event. “I want people to come and explore a new culture and relax from the stressful studying this time of year,” said Minnesota State Anyuak student Okony Cham. The speakers of the event will focus on the difficulties the Anyuak suffer in their homeland of Gambella Ethiopia and in areas of Sudan. Journalist Doug McGill, one of the event’s speakers, has written extensively about the plight the of Anyuak people at the hands of the Ethiopian government. MSU graduate Apee Jobi will also be speaking on behalf of the Gambella Relief Organization. Similarly, Senior Adviser for the Anyuak Justice Council Jill Anderson will be speaking. In addition to the speakers, many Anyuak will travel south from the Twin Cities to participate in the event by playing music and performing traditional cultural dances. “One main goal is for people to discover Mankato and MSU,” Cham said, explaining he thinks Mankato is a good place for Anyuaks. “It’s a quiet neighborhood for kids and students. It’s a peaceful place for people to work and live.” William Okwary is an Anyuak who lives in Minneapolis. He will be coming to Saturday’s event as the leader of a band that will be performing. “I’m looking forward to being with people who are eager to listen and learn about other cultures,” Okwary said. About interaction between different cultures, MSU Anyuak student Peter Othow said it is nothing new but a normal part of the human experience. The Ethnic Studies student makes the point that Anyuak culture is now American culture as the Anyauk are American citizens and he wants Americans to see this new part of their culture. “America is a good example of multi-cultural diversity,” Othow said. “You see so many different faces.” On December 13, 2003, members of the Ethiopian military killed 420 Anyuaks in Gambella according to Human Rights Watch and other reputable human rights organizations. This one bloody day is the epoch in a long, troubled history for the Anyuak in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. Humans Rights Watch describes the situation in Gambella in this way: “Since late 2003, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has committed numerous human rights violations against Anyuak communities in the Gambella region of southwestern Ethiopia that my amount to crimes against humanity. These abuses have taken place in a region plagued by long-standing ethnic tensions to which the Ethiopian military has become party.” Jon Swedien is a Reporter staff writer Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) More
The Anyuak Student Association will have their second annual Anyuak/Gambella Culture Day Saturday in the CSU Ballroom. The event, which starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m., will include Anyuak music, dancing and food. Several speakers will also highlight the event. “I want people to come and explore a new culture and relax from the stressful studying this time of year,” said Minnesota State Anyuak student Okony Cham. The speakers of the event will focus on the difficulties the Anyuak suffer in their homeland of Gambella Ethiopia and in areas of Sudan. Journalist Doug McGill, one of the event’s speakers, has written extensively about the plight the of Anyuak people at the hands of the Ethiopian government. MSU graduate Apee Jobi will also be speaking on behalf of the Gambella Relief Organization. Similarly, Senior Adviser for the Anyuak Justice Council Jill Anderson will be speaking. In addition to the speakers, many Anyuak will travel south from the Twin Cities to participate in the event by playing music and performing traditional cultural dances. “One main goal is for people to discover Mankato and MSU,” Cham said, explaining he thinks Mankato is a good place for Anyuaks. “It’s a quiet neighborhood for kids and students. It’s a peaceful place for people to work and live.” William Okwary is an Anyuak who lives in Minneapolis. He will be coming to Saturday’s event as the leader of a band that will be performing. “I’m looking forward to being with people who are eager to listen and learn about other cultures,” Okwary said. About interaction between different cultures, MSU Anyuak student Peter Othow said it is nothing new but a normal part of the human experience. The Ethnic Studies student makes the point that Anyuak culture is now American culture as the Anyauk are American citizens and he wants Americans to see this new part of their culture. “America is a good example of multi-cultural diversity,” Othow said. “You see so many different faces.” On December 13, 2003, members of the Ethiopian military killed 420 Anyuaks in Gambella according to Human Rights Watch and other reputable human rights organizations. This one bloody day is the epoch in a long, troubled history for the Anyuak in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. Humans Rights Watch describes the situation in Gambella in this way: “Since late 2003, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has committed numerous human rights violations against Anyuak communities in the Gambella region of southwestern Ethiopia that my amount to crimes against humanity. These abuses have taken place in a region plagued by long-standing ethnic tensions to which the Ethiopian military has become party.” Jon Swedien is a Reporter staff writer Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) More
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