ETHIOPIA: Gambela prisons service boss sacked in government purge

ADDIS ABABA, 24 June 2004 (IRIN) - Utow Uweren, the head of the Gambela State prisons service in troubled western Ethiopia has been sacked, government officials told IRIN on Thursday, allegedly for trying to help prisoners accused of being linked to "anti-peace" groups escape from jail. This is the latest move in a series of attempts by the government to contain disturbances in Gambela State, which borders on Sudan, the officials added. The region was hit by serious fighting which first broke out in December and has claimed several hundred lives, with thousands fleeing from their homes. The federal affairs ministry has launched a shake-up of the state's affairs that has seen at least 32 police officers and government employees sacked. Minister of Federal Affairs Abay Tsehaye told parliament last week that the crisis – in the course of which about US $400,000-worth of property was destroyed - was now under control. According to local press reports, he also criticised "independent newspapers and human rights organisations" for issuing "misleading statements" about the violence. However, the government also apologised for failing to react swiftly enough after the violence started to erupt in mid-December following an attack on a vehicle in which eight government officials were killed. Earlier this month, during a three-day peace and reconciliation conference held in Gambela, officials pledged to expose police officers who had been involved in the violence. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council had earlier alleged that both the police and security forces had been involved in or turned a blind eye to the killings. At least five main ethnic groups live in the region, along with migrants from other parts of Ethiopia, known as highlanders, all totalling some 228,000 people. In this swampy, malaria-infested lowland area, the majority - 90,000 - are Nuer, with 62,000 Anyuaks constituting the second-largest ethnic group. However, the region is rich in natural resources like oil and gold. The fighting has mainly been between Anyuaks and highlanders. Anyuaks were blamed for the December attack, and dozens of them killed in reprisals. They have been resisting plans for a new refugee camp on land they see as their territory, claiming that they are being forced out of the area and losing political power. Thousands of Anyuak fled the region for Sudan, according to the federal affairs ministry. Many of them are now believed to have returned home. The state president, Okelo Akuai, an ethnic Anyuak, also fled, claiming that he feared for his safety; he is now seeking asylum in Norway. Since the fighting first erupted, there have been recurrent skirmishes, local humanitarian sources say. According to them, a bus was attacked in May, and as many as 25 people killed. Also in May, Ethiopian security forces clashed with a rebel group, killing 20 men suspected of involvement in violence. But since then, say the sources, there has been little fighting. The fighting in the region sparked international concern, with the EU, and the US and UK governments all calling for an independent inquiry. The government, meanwhile, stated that "confidence-building measures" were being introduced to restore calm, while action would be taken against aggressors. "The federal government will spare no effort to bring the perpetrators involved in these atrocities to justice," it said in a recent statement.