Due to nearby war, weapons such as AK-47 assault rifles and guns have become quite commonplace in this Ethiopia tribe – and there is very little intervention from local authorities. A photographer shared his experience of being kidnapped and forced to take photos.
‘The Suri tribe are in general not aggressive even though they are armed in many cases with AK47s and Kalashnikovs.
‘These are to stop other tribes taking their livestock and also for occasional intertribal conflicts. They sometimes get aggressive when they drink the Araki and it is then that there is the greatest risk.
The Omo Valley is home to eight different tribes with a collective population of 200,000 people.
‘The Suri tribesmen, two of them, were under the influence of Araki, a locally brewed alcohol, and were intent on robbery. I was with one other photographer and my daughter, who was 20 at the time, so they were tense moments.
The Omo Valley is home to eight different tribes with a collective population of 200,000 people.
Members of the Suri tribe in Ethiopia are generally peaceful, but have been known to carry weapons.
A Suri farmer carries a gun as he herds his goats. Tribespeople have been known to carry weapons amid widespread cattle raiding and nearby wars
Members of the Suri tribe drain blood from a cow
‘My guide and good friend, however, was excellent and we managed to pay them off with local currency.
‘The Suri tribe are in general not aggressive even though they are armed in many cases with AK47s and Kalashnikovs.
‘These are to stop other tribes taking their livestock and also for occasional intertribal conflicts. They sometimes get aggressive when they drink the Araki and it is then that there is the greatest risk.
The Omo Valley is home to eight different tribes with a collective population of 200,000 people.
