Gambela conflict

The Gambela conflict refers to sporadic conflicts in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia between armed groups of the indigenous Anuak people with civilians of the indigenous Nuer people, and the Ethiopian military. Following resettlement policies implemented by the Derg regime in the 1980s, a number of ethnic conflicts have taken place between the Anuak people indigenous to much of the Gambela region, and other groups which were resettled in the region. Following the collapse of the Derg regime, persistent ethnic tensions in the region have occasionally exploded into open conflict. The South Sudanese Civil War also has a spillover effect in the Gambela region and they were frequent raids and abductions of children by armed Murle groups from South Sudan.

Gambela region hosted an active anti-government insurgent group known as the Gambela People's Liberation Army (GPLA). In June 2022, the GPLA conducted a joint operation alongside fighters from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and took partial control of the capital city for several hours. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission released a report documenting evidence that at least 50 civilians were killed by security forces following the attack. However, on April 2023 the leadership of the GPLA announced that the group had "completely withdrawn from armed struggle," resulting in the surrender of hundreds of fighters to the Ethiopian government.