Exiled Anuak prepare to confront Ethiopian official in Minn.
by The Associated Press

ST. PAUL -- An Ethiopian official will pay a visit to Minnesota's Anuak community-in-exile on Saturday.

Omot Obang Olom is governor of the country's western Gambella region. Many members of the Anuak ethnic minority accuse Omot of being behind an attack against their people.

Omot, who is Anuak himself, was in charge of security when human rights groups say Ethiopian troops attacked the Anuak population in December 2003.

Several members of the Anuak community in Minnesota have refused to be in the same room as Omot. But Akway Cham, who heads the Minneapolis-based Anywaa Community Association in North America, says Saturday's forum with Olom is a chance for people to ask questions and get answers.

Up to three-thousand Anuak live in Minnesota in what may be the largest concentration outside Africa.