(A4o, 21 April 2014) The Oromo Yorkshire Community Celebrates the annual Oromo National Martyrs Day: April 15 with great community participation.

According to the information received, the annual celebration was  opened with a 2-minute of silence and a blessing of the elders. Following the blessing, Meti, a 10-year-old girl, read a poem depicting the history of the Oromo fallen heroes and heroines during the successive Ethiopian regimes.

The poem was a very moving piece, and many were not able to hold back their tears. This was followed by more poems and an accompanying drama.

The community members also passionately discussed the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) master plan to depopulate the indigenous Oromos of Finfinne (Addis Ababa) by forcefully moving them from their land. If the TPLF succeeds with this plan, it might create another human tragedy similar to that in Rwanda.

People, who attended the occasion, committed themselves to work towards exposing the notorious TPLF regime to the British public as the TPLF is funded by UK taxpayers’ money. The TPLF perpetuates injustice against the Oromo people in Ethiopia.

“We, the Oromo Yorkshire Community members, appeal to all peace-loving nations of the world, and in particular the European Union and the United States of America, not to support the notorious TPLF regime which mercilessly arrests, prisons, kills and uproots Oromo farmers from their land,” says the community’s press release.

If you are not aware of the century-long suffering of the Oromo people under the successive Ethiopian regimes, please see the Amnesty International Reports on Human Rights 2013.

These reports highlight the abuse of human rights in Ethiopia, particularly the Oromo people, as written by Dr. Trevor Trueman, who is an expert in this subject.

Background

April 15th is Oromo Martyrs Day also known as Guyyaa Gootota Oromo. This commemorative day was first started by Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) following the execution  of its prominent leader’s on diplomatic mission enrouted to Somalia on April 15, 1980.

Since then this day was celebrated as Oromo Martyrs Day by Oromo nationals around the world to honor those who have sacrificed their lives to free Oromia and to renew a commitment to the cause for which they have died.