Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
***Luoland, the ...
Nilotic
The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
inhabiting parts of
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
. The Anuak belong to the larger Luo family group. Their language is referred to as Dha-Anywaa. They are primarily found in
Gambela Region
The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella; am, ጋምቤላ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region, is a regional state in western Ethiopia, bordering South Sudan. Previously known as Region 12, its capital is Gambela. The Region is situated ...
in western
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
,
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
as well as
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. Group members number between 200,000 and 300,000 people worldwide. Many of the Anyuak people now follow Christianity. It is one of the first of the Nilotic groups to become almost entirely Christian, following the
Shilluk people
The Shilluk ( Shilluk: ''Chollo'') are a major Luo Nilotic ethnic group of Southern Sudan, living on both banks of the river Nile, in the vicinity of the city of Malakal. Before the Second Sudanese Civil War the Shilluk also lived in a number of ...
.
History
The Anuak are from the family of
Nilotes
The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...
. They have lived in the area of the Upper Nile for hundreds of years and consider their land to be their tribal land. Hundreds of thousands of Anuak people immigrated to the United States to escape the wars, where they live mostly in Minnesota, which had a
refugee resettlement
Third country resettlement or refugee resettlement is, according to the UNHCR, one of three Refugee#Durable solutions, durable solutions (voluntary return, voluntary repatriation and local integration being the other two) for refugees who fled thei ...
program.
Unlike other
Nilotic
The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...
peoples in the Upper Nile, whose economies are based on raising cattle, the Anuak are herdsmen and farmers. They are believed to have a common origin with their northern neighbors, the
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
***Luoland, the ...
and Shilluk. Also, they share a similar language with their neighbors to the south, the Acholi.
The Luo peoples are scattered all over Eastern Africa, including Sudan and Ethiopia; they identify as a people who have preserved their cultural heritage wherever they reside. The Luo-speaking people of Eastern Africa are found beyond the Sudan and Ethiopia in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
and the Congo. Their language(s) and dialects belong to the broader cluster of
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50–60 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari River, Chari and Nile rivers, including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of the ...
.
The Gambela region is hot and tropical with rich, fertile, well-watered soil coming from the rivers. Much is carried down from the mountains of the highlands, which has a cooler, drier climate. The differences in geography have caused self-identification by Ethiopians into distinctive categories of "lowlanders", such as the Anuak and other indigenous groups in the area, as opposed to the "highlanders." The latter, including the Amhara, Oromo, and
Tigrayan
Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch.
The daily life of Tigray ...
ethnicities, comprise the majority of the population of Ethiopia.
The Anuak and others who live in the lowlands of Gambela complain of racial discrimination and marginalization by other ethnicities in Ethiopia. This has affected the Anuaks' access to education, health care and other basic services, as well as limiting opportunities for development of the area.
The Anuak of
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
live in a grassy region that is flat and virtually treeless. During the rainy season, this area floods, so that much of it becomes swampland with various channels of deep water running through it.
Economy
The Anuak people of Ethiopia and Sudan live of a subsistence economy and have a strong dependence on their rivers. They grow their crops among the riverbanks which in turn provides them a stable and efficient supply of food. When the dry season occurs, the Anuak people hunt the animals that are in search of the waterways. When it is not the dry season, they partake in a large amount of fishing. The Anuaks also choose when to migrate their cattle based on which season is occurring (migrate in dry the dry season). The migration of domesticated animals is not as important to them as it is to other cultures because the Anuak people do not have as much livestock as most as they focus more on agriculture. The Anuaks engage in agriculture, hunting, fishing, pastoralism and gathering to meet their economic needs.
The Anuak villages are very tight-knit with little contact with the outside world. The villages are run by people called Headmen, whose power can easily be removed if deemed unsatisfactory by the people. The ways in which the Anuak people govern themselves are very democratic. The Anuak's tend to not trust outsiders based on past experiences with the Ethiopian Government and also the other tribal groups who share the same land.
Human rights issues
The Anuak Justice Council (AJC) is an umbrella organization for the Anuak that advocates for non-violent solutions to alleged human rights abuses being perpetrated against the Anuak in the Gambela region of Ethiopia by Ethiopian Defense Forces. The AJC's approach to restoring peace, justice and the rule of law to this area is by means of international advocacy, increasing public awareness and utilizing established legal processes.
Since 2005, the AJC filed several complaints against the government of Ethiopia with several international bodies including,
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
concerning alleged December 2003 atrocities targeting the Anuak in the Gambela Region. However, the government has denied any involvement in the event. Allegedly, several eyewitnesses who were US citizens were in Gambela during the time of killing and testimonies of several international organizations such as the
Genocide Watch
Gregory H. Stanton is the former Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at the George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. He is best known for his work in the area of genocide studies. He is the founder a ...
International Human Rights Law Clinic
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
's reports submitted to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationbr> In May, 2004, the BBC reported that 20 members of an illegal armed gang, including their leader, an escaped convict known as "Major Kut", were killed by Ethiopian security forces following a shootout in the Gambela region, and that approximately 200 people had been killed in the ethnic violence that began in 2002, ending with the death of Ku The 13 December 2003 killing of the Anuak people was alleged to have been sparked by the death of eight Ethiopian highlanders who were killed by unknown groups. However, the strife did not start in 2003, but earlier on, several groups fighting the government of Ethiopia massacred the Anuaks of
Itang
Itang (also spelled ''Etang'';"Census 2007" , first draft, p. 81 the same location where the alleged ambush occurred.
Genocides
Anuak Militants, Anuak militants have allegedly attacked Government forces and non-Anuak civilians. In June 2006, the BBC reported that men dressed in military garb attacked passengers on a bus, killing sixteen, as part of the widespread violence that has occurred in the country.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
(HRW) released a report on March 24, 2005 that documents systematic and widespread atrocities committed against the Anuak by Ethiopian military units and local Ethiopians. HRW indicates that these acts meet the definition of
crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
; however, no one really knows full details of what has occurred.
According to Anuak militants, Anuak men (and some women) continue to be subject to
arbitrary arrest
Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law ...
, beatings, detentions and extrajudicial killings in Ethiopia . Rape of Anuak women is allegedly widespread as part of the wartime atrocities. The Anuak continue to suffer huge problems with basic access to water, health care or clinics, food, and education, just like the rest of Ethiopia. Even though the country currently has one of the fastest-growing economies and GDPs, poverty still exists. Entire generations of Anuak children are unable to attend school, and are growing up, without any formal or informal education at all.
According to exiled Anuaks, the Anuak have been the targets of military oppression by Ethiopian governments.
Genocide Watch
Gregory H. Stanton is the former Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at the George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. He is best known for his work in the area of genocide studies. He is the founder a ...
placed the Anuak massacre on its emergency list of ongoing genocides in the world. "The situation reminds me of
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
in 1993, when all the early warning signs were evident but no one paid attention," Gregory Stanton, president of Genocide Watch, said. Various external actors and governments are involved in proxy wars and conflicts in numerous borders in the unstable region of the horn of Africa, including in Gambela, thus ethnic conflicts could possibly spark and resume."Governments, rebels in various conflicts in the horn" ''Gambela Today''
* Evans-Pritchard, E. E. 1940. ''The Political System of the Anuak of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.'' New York: AMS Press.
* Feyissa, Dereje. 2011. ''Playing Different Games: The Paradox of Anywaa and Nuer Identification Strategies in the Gambella Region, Ethiopia''. New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books.
* Osterlund, David C. 2021. The Anuak Legacy: Music & Culture '' Saint Paul, MN: The University of Northwestern Berntsen Library.
* Perner, Conradin 1994-2016. ''The Anyuak: Living on Earth in the Sky. An analytic account of the history and culture of a Nilotic people.'' In 8 volumes. Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag and Schwabe-Verlag. (''Vol. I – The Sphere of Spirituality'' , ''Vol. II – The Human Territory'' , ''Vol. III – The Human Being'' , ''Vol. IV – A personal Life'' , ''Vol. V – The Anyuak Village – Centre of Civilisation (on Social Structures and Justice)'' , ''Vol. VI – The Political Body: Power and Authority'' , ''Vol. VII – Spheres of Action, Anyuak Art'' , ''Vol. VIII – Anyuak Histories. With a Bibliography'' ).
* Perner, Conradin 1992. ''Anyuak Religion.'' Leeds: Journal of Religion in Africa, Vol. II.
* Perner, Conradin 1990. ''Anyuak – A Luo Language of the Southern Sudan: Dictionary and short Grammar.'' Yale: Human Relations Area Files Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anuak People
Nilotic peoplesEthnic groups in East AfricaEthnic groups in South SudanEthnic groups in EthiopiaEthnic groups in Sudan