THE UNITED PAANYWAA MOVEMENT
U.P.M
THE OFFICE OF CHAIRPERSON
Skovparken 15, 2tv
6000 Kolding, Denmark
Mobile: +4552636451
Date: 22/5/2024
The Foreign Affairs Committee
Folketinget
Christiansborg
1240 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Dear Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
I am writing to you on behalf of the Gambella people, who have endured decades of division,
marginalization, and genocide in their homeland of Paanywaa, which is currently within the
borders of Ethiopia and Sudan. Our plight is a matter of great urgency and historical injustice,
which we believe requires international attention and support to rectify.
Historically, the Anyuak land was an independent kingdom nestled between Ethiopia and
Sudan. However, the agreements of 1902 and 1956 between the British Empire and Ethiopia,
which divided our land, were made without the consent or even the knowledge of the Anyuak
people. This division was not only geographical but also detrimental to the socio-cultural and
political fabric of our society, splitting one united family and land under one leadership into
disjointed territories.
Moreover, from the era of Menelik II to Meles Zenawi, the people of Gambela, the heartland
of the Anyuak, have been systematically marginalized. Denied access to further education and
representation in federal institutions, our people have been left voiceless and powerless. This
marginalization has facilitated severe human rights abuses, culminating in acts of genocide for
which the Ethiopian government must be held accountable.
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