Dawit Miteku
It is almost a month since Murile tribe militants entered into Ethiopia’s border from South Sudan and killed more than 200 innocent civilian and kidnapped more than 120 children. And the activity to bring the kidnapped children has already started. 19 children have been brought back at the start of the week. President of Gambella state Ato Gat Luak Tut has received the children at Gambella airport. And it is stated by Ethiopia and South Sudan governments that the work to bring back the kidnapped children will continue.
Out of the children that are brought back, there were children that are barely two years old and infants. It made people who saw members of FDRE defense forces bringing back these children and babies from helicopter on TV teary eyed.
Nevertheless, it has puzzled many on the motive behind kidnapping children and infant babies. I have heard people, who have good understanding about Murile tribe, saying they did the thing they did to make the children shepherds. All in all, this action is heinous and inhumane. As it can be recalled, the government has stated that more than 60 assailants have been killed in the swift response the FDRE defense force took following the attack from Murile militants. The government has previously stated that it will take the appropriate response against the assailant, and will bring back the kidnapped children.
And following this, Medias were reporting that Ethiopian army has encircled the Murile militants. As Major General Fisseha Kidanu, who is the Commander of Western Front, stated during the event held to receive the returned back children that the army has reached close to the assailants and done all the necessary work to take the needed action. However, in order to save the children first, it has backed away from taking action.
Following this heinous attack and kidnapping, various governments including South Sudan’s government have all expressed their sorrow and stated that they support the effort to bring back the kidnapped children. Stating that the assailants should be brought to justice, and they asked the South Sudan government to provide all the necessary cooperation. After this, the FDRE government had stated that it is working to return back the kids in cautious manner without letting any harm befall upon them. It also stated that it will talk with the Murile tribe elderly. General Fisseha Kidanu said that as per the request of the South Sudan government to solve the issue with peaceful way instead of force, the action has diverted to peaceful negotiation.
The main concerning thing with regards to the hijacking was returning back the kids, and the problem is being solved. However, as it can be recalled, opposition political parties, and a local association that works on human rights, ‘Human Rights Assembly’, have issued statement on the situation.
As most of the comments and position taken comes from genuine concern and sorrow for the killed and kidnapped Ethiopians, and considering their positions, it is to be expected and appropriate. However, I wanted to point out some of those comments and position I feel like lacked balance and fairness here in this article.
Those comments include: the government hasn’t made enough border protection; if the government hadn’t disarmed members of Ethiopian Nuer ethnics they could have stooped the attack from happening; the fact that the government turned to negotiation after saying that it will take forceful measure on the assailants brought shame to the country.
Let us start from the one that claims that the government doesn’t provide enough border protection. With regards to this, one thing that should be considered here is the fact that political border is not a wall that prohibits movement between people who live around bordering area between two countries.
As its known, citizens of one country goes to the other in search of market or other various social issues. There might be people who have married, or have ethnic or familial ties on both side of the order. And this situation has made residents living around the border to move freely as if there is no political border between them.
As such type of activities, if it especially takes place between countries that have peaceful relationship, will not be seen as a threat and the border will have special protection. And out of legal proceeding or norm, such thing happens to be expression of the lifestyle of people living near border areas. It should be known that it is impossible to look after every meter of the border like a hawk and disrupt the movement of the people living in those areas. Of course it can’t be denied that such movement of people in border areas can be exposed to illegal trade, looting and similar offenses. But, this doesn’t ask the need for dispatching the army in full blown manner as if it is a threat of invasion. Such action can force countries to look into each other suspiciously, and strain their good relationship. Of course the army will be put at every kilometer gap.
The border area between two countries with peaceful relationship is usually watched over by federal police. More than this, situation that demands the presence of the army in such state of affairs doesn’t occur that much.
As previously mentioned, as people movement near border areas can be source of illegal activities and it should be watched over, the movement cannot be fully stopped. Even countries like the US, where their citizens lead a steady lifestyle and their identity is registered in a system and have sophisticated technology to control their border areas, let alone in countries like Ethiopia, where it has pastoral communities live near its border areas and don’t have sophisticated technology to control its borders, have not been able to fully control peoples’ movement near border areas. We can mention the fact that the US is still unable to fully control the illegal human movement and illegal trade that is happening near its border with Mexico.
Thus, it should be noted that fully controlling the movement around Ethiopia and South Sudan border, where people of the same ethnic background and pastoral lifestyle reside, is not only unnecessary given their lifestyle, but its a near impossible task. So, I think taking the entry of the Murile ethnic militants into our border as a lapse in border control is unfair.
And I also find the comment that mentioned the disarming of Neur ethnics has made them vulnerable to the attack is unfair, considering it doesn’t take the realities of the ground in those areas into account. As most Ethiopians can recall, about two months before the attacks occurred, there was a conflict between Nuer and Anuak ethnics in Gambella region. There was loss of lives from both sides in this conflict.
In addition to this, the conflict reached a point where it can escalate into something that can’t be easily stopped. As it can also be recalled, thousand of peoples have died from both ethnic groups when fight broke out between them in 2004. And the government has the duty and responsibility to stop and stabilize the situation, and bring the culprits to justice – and it has been doing just that. Thus, the government decided to disarm both the Nuer and Anuak militants in order to stop the fighting that broke between them before it escalate into a very bad turmoil. It doesn’t have the objective of making the Nuer and Anuak be exposed to attacks by disarming them. So, I don’t think it is appropriate to use this logical disarming measure, which is done in good faith, to discredit the government.
Especially, the fact that ‘Human Rights Assembly’ (HRA) looked at the disarming as a problem, totally disregarding the huge human right violation and crisis, has forced me to look at the organization and the value it gives to protecting human rights in wary manner.
Finally, let us look at the comment that claimed the government’s decision to negotiate after saying it will take forceful measure on the Murile militant brings disrespect to the country. As its known, as soon as the attack happened, the Ethiopian army went to the area and took measure on the assailants. Also, the army has also taken measure against the militants by entering as afar as South Sudan’s border.
The aim of the measure taken by the army is part of taking timely and appropriate response. On the other hand, it had the aim of bringing back the kidnapped children and stolen animals. And if we are to talk about our army’s capabilities, the fact that it is indomitable force has been seen during its victorious campaign in reversing back Eritrea’s invasion and in stopping and defeating the expansion of Al-Shabaab – so much powerful entities than these Shiftas of hundred individuals.
[So, the defense force did not continue with its forceful action against the Murile militant is not out of negligence. First of all, Ethiopian army doesn’t move with impulsive, emotional and bravado drums. It is a force that works for protecting the country’s sovereignty, ensuring human rights of citizens as its end goal. Thus, it cannot be said that the army preventing it from butchering militants that are hidden in some cave is a problem considering the principle it is set up in the first place.
The main reason that diverted the army from taking forceful measure is the fact that the Murile militants are using the children as human shields to protect themselves from possible incursion, and had the army deiced to adventurously take forceful measure, the effort to bring back the children would have meet a problem – and it would have foiled the main and only mission of the army. It should also be noted that it would have been a disregard to the option South Sudan presented, and would have strained the relationship between the two. Not only this, it should also be noted that in addition to contradicting with Ethiopia’s interest of seeing a peaceful region and its efforts to make that happen, it would have complicated the effort to bring back the kidnapped children alive.