December 20, 2004

A year ago on December 13-15 a massacre took place in Gambella and more than 1500 people, most of them from the Anuak ethnic group, were brutally killed. The culprit was the ruling EPRDF headed by Prime Minster Meles Zenawi that unleashed its federal police, militia and cadres against the unarmed and innocent people.

Since then many more people have been killed in Gambella. The EPRDF had also been trying to deny its responsibility falsely claiming its forces intervened only to stop inter ethnic carnage. The facts did show however that the ruling EPRDF was primarily responsible for the brutal massacre that some have designated as genocide. The regime has tried to accuse ordinary policemen and then removed the vice minister of the federal affairs ministry from his post. The stubborn facts do indicate that responsible officials are none other the minister of federal affairs, Abay Tsehaye, and the Prime Minister himself without whose order no such action is ever taken. Sadly enough, the killing in Gambella has not ceased and there is enough justification to assert that the EPRDF is out on a murder spree directed against the Anuak people.

SOCEPP calls on the arrest and trial of the officials responsible for the massacre and indicts the EPRDF regime for the crime against the Anuak people.

SOCEPP calls on international human rights bodies, civic organizations, etc to demand justice in favor of the Anuaks of Gambella and to call for the indictment of the EPRDF for the crime.

SOCEPP calls on international NGOs to render assistance to the refugees who fled from the massacre and ongoing repression in Gambella.