Ethiopian envoy, foreign minister discuss Murle attacks on Gambella

JUBA – The Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan last week visited foreign minister Mayiik Ayii Deng and the two diplomats discussed the continued attacks by Murle armed men on Ethiopian soil in Gambella.

Last week, armed men from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) crossed to attack villages in the Ethiopian region of Gambella killing eight people and wounded at least five others.

In a biweekly briefing in Addis Ababa on Thursday, Amb. Dina Mufti, the Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman said Ethiopian ambassador to South Sudan Nebil Mahdi met the country’s foreign minister and discussed the need to address the insecurity.

“Ethiopia’s Ambassador in South Sudan, H.E. Nebil Mahdi holds talks with Mr. Mayiik Ayii Deng, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan, on bilateral issues,” Mufti said.

“During the meeting, Ambassador Nebil briefed the Minister on security and development issues related to the joint border between Ethiopia and South Sudan,” he added.

He said Amb. Mahdi “stressed the need to hold a meeting of the Joint Boundaries Commission to get solutions to the repeated attacks by Murle militants on innocent civilians crossing the Ethiopian border.”