The peace and security office of the Gambella regional government has announced that the attacks by the Murle tribesmen from South Sudan have not stopped.

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 Habtamu

The deputy head of the peace and security office of the regional government, Mr. Otto Okot, said that the militants have recently crossed into Gambella region and looted cattle.

The region has repeatedly stated that the militants cause physical harm to people, kidnap children and steal cattle, especially in the Gambella region and the districts close to the South Sudan border. They confirmed that in the recent attack, although children were not abducted like before, cattle were stolen.

Reporter Newspaper I have asked the deputy head of the office to explain whether the militants abducted children or not. “Not a single child has been taken now. Recently, the cattle were taken away on May 1, 2015,” he said. The official added that Murle tribe militants entered the region and looted 131 cattle on May 1, 2015. Six of the looted cattle died on the way and 125 cattle were recovered from the militants by the security forces of the region.

The deputy chief, Ato Otou, who was asked by the reporter to answer whether it was possible to return the children kidnapped by the militants who regularly crossed the border of the region, said that many children and livestock that were allegedly taken by the militants could not be returned.

On January 30, 2015, residents explained that the militants not only kidnap children but also kill innocent people. They recalled that they crossed the border and killed two people in Ateti Kebele Utyo village in Gog district of the region, and seriously injured one person. In March 2014, the militants attacked Jikaona Lare district and forced the displacement of nine thousand residents.

The residents explained that the Murle tribe militants kidnap children to sell them to investors in South Sudan who are looking for children to earn a source of income.