Anuak Justice

In December of 2003, over 400 innocent people were massacred. These people were Anuak, a tribe of peaceful people living in the Gambella region of southwestern Ethiopia, near the border of Ethiopia and Sudan. Who were the perpetrators of this massacre? The Ethiopian military. The Anuak people have been and still are victims of genocide and horrific crimes against humanity and although the Ethiopian government won't admit this outright, the reasoning behind these atrocities boils down to the simple fact that there is oil beneath the land where the Anuak lived. You've most likely not heard a word about any of this because the mainstream media doesn't print stuff like that. (If you want to know more, take some time to read www.anuakjustice.org)
Many of the Anuak people have fled from their homeland and some have come to the US. There is a large Anuak population in Minnesota and also many Anuak here in Spokane. It was through the Anuak here in Spokane that some folks, including my aunt and uncle, from First Presbyterian church became aware of the massacre in 2003 literally as the massacre was occurring. Desperate Anuak people in Gambella called their relatives in Spokane and Minnesota as their families were being dragged out of their houses, beaten, and shot. I can only imagine how horrifying and helpless it must have felt to hear the gunshots and tears coming through the telephone. The Anuak in Spokane turned to their friends at First Presbyterian for help. Through the efforts of these people and others the Anuak Justice Council was developed. It exists to unite the Anuak in the US, to inform the world about the situation in Gambella and to advocate for the rights of these people before world governments. Please, please check out the website as you will learn more there than I can possibly explain in this entry. And pray for the Anuak people.