Agwa Alemo (died 11 July 1992) was an Ethiopian politician. He belonged to the

Anyuak The Anyuak, also known as Anyuaa and Anywaa, are a Luo Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of East Africa. The Anuak belong to the larger Luo family group. Their language is referred to as Dha-Anywaa. They primarily reside in the Gambela Region ...

ethnic group, and became the first president of the

Gambela Region The Gambela Region, also spelled Gambella, and officially the Gambela Peoples' Region (), is a regional state in western Ethiopia. Previously known as Region 12, its capital and largest city is Gambela. It is bordered by the Oromia Region to t ...

. Agwa was a member of the Marxist Waz League in the 1970s. He was sent to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

for political education. Upon returning to Ethiopia he was appointed administrator for the Jikaw District. When the Waz League and the

Derg The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

military junta sent in separate directions, Agwa was jailed for a short period.Feyissa, Dereje.
Playing Different Games: The Paradox of Anywaa and Nuer Identification Strategies in the Gambella Region, Ethiopia
'. New York: Berghahn Books, 2011. p. 140 After being released from jail Agwa began working for the

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

. He would also return to his position as Jikaw District administrator. Later, he became the chairman of the

Gambela People's Liberation Movement The Gambela People's Liberation Movement (Abbreviation, abbreviated GPLM) was a rebel group in the Gambela Region in Ethiopia. The GPLM was founded by Anuak people, Anuak dissidents during the Derg, Derg regime. The organization remained dominate ...

(GPLM). In 1991 Agwa became the first president of the Gambela region. He was one of two GPLM delegates to the Council of Representatives during the transitional period.Akol, Lam.
SPLM/SPLA: The Nasir Declaration
'. New York: iUniverse, Inc, 2003. pp. 101-102 On 11 July 1992, a group of fighters from Agwa's own GPLM visited Agwa in his residence in Gambela. The soldiers presented demands regarding food distribution provisions. In the end, the GPLM soldiers killed Agwa.International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Katsuyoshi Fukui, Eisei Kurimoto, and Masayoshi Shigeta.
Ethiopia in broader perspective: papers of the XIIIth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Kyoto, 12-17 December 1997
'. Kyoto, Japan: Shokado Book Sellers, 1997. p. 810Grawert, Elke.
After the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan
'. Oxford .a. James Currey, 2010. p. 224

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

.
Targeting the Anuak: human rights violations and crimes against humanity in Ethiopia's Gambella Region
'. London: Human Rights Watch, 2005. p. 10Allen, Tim.
In Search of Cool Ground: War, Flight & Homecoming in Northeast Africa
'. Trenton, NJ .a. Africa World Press, 1996. p. 198

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agwa, Alemu 20th-century Ethiopian politicians 1992 deaths Year of birth missing People from Gambela Region