Ethiopian’s ambassador to South Sudan demands an end to repeated attacks by Murle militants

Ethiopia’s Ambassador to South Sudan, Nabil Mahdi, has called for a halt to the recurrent cross-border assaults by Murle militants on people in Gambella regional state.

This was stated by the Ambassador during discussions with South Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Mayiik Ayii Deng.

According to the Gambella regional state press secretariat office, Ambassador Nabil addressed the Foreign Minister on security and development problems concerning Ethiopia and South Sudan’s shared border territories.

He specifically urged for a long-term solution to the frequent cross-border assaults by Murle extremists on innocent populations.

The Ambassador further highlighted the need of convening a joint cross-border commission meeting to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

According to the Gambella area police commission, militias from neighboring South Sudan crossed borders and started an assault on the region in January, killing eight people and injuring five more.

The shooters are from South Sudan’s Murle tribe, according to the police commission.

In the second week of February, armed men from the Murle community launched a similar assault on the Dima refugee camp and Gog woreda in the Gambella Region, killing one person and wounding two more.

During the cross-border incursion, three children were also kidnapped.

According to the Gambella Region Press Secretariat, Ambassador Nabil also said that Ethiopia and South Sudan could profit from connecting the two nations via various facilities, such as highways.

He characterized Ethiopia’s security situation as “better,” and claimed the government was making “extensive efforts” to enable national discourse.

Foreign Minister Mayiik, for his part, emphasized the need of working harder to guarantee a safe peace along the border and to benefit the neighboring nations.

According to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the presidents of neighboring nations South Sudan and Gambella have agreed to convene consultative sessions to settle the matter.

MoFA Spokesperson Ambassador Dina Mufti stated, “Murle’s attacks have been there for years, and the nature of the problem should thoroughly investigate whether they were state sponsored attacks or not.”

Indeed, the two nations should educate and raise awareness among border inhabitants about the necessity of peaceful cohabitation.”

According to the Ambassador, the Murle militias murdered 18 Ethiopians, kidnapped eight children, and took more than 100 heads of livestock from the Gambella area.