[1] Following the turbulence caused by the advance and the victories of the British colonial troops during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan, Anek escaped from slavery and returned to her home in Pathiong Gok where she resumed a traditional lifestyle.
[1] Anek gradually acquired stature among the Dinka of Pathiong Gok, convincing them of the worth of her knowledge of Arabic and her aggressive nature.
[2] Anek clashed with Wuol Athian, a rival military leader and traditional priest of the Dinka community of Agar who had allied with the Nuer to attack the Turko-Egyptian garrison at Rumbek in 1883.
[3] At a gathering of the region's chiefs, Anek debated Athian, successfully made a public case against him, and was awarded a gray cow as recompense.
[1] At the next annual gathering of chiefs before the British colonial officials, a charge was made against Anek claiming that she had slapped Athian on his buttocks.