A press release by members of the OLF leaders in the Diaspora

The current political turmoil and security crisis in Oromia as well as Ethiopia is worsening from time to time, severely straining the daily life of citizens. The current machinations to turn Oromia in to a war zone and the catastrophic consequences in terms of human and material destruction is becoming unbearable. In the aftermath of the assassination of our beloved artist Hacaaluu Hundessaa, members of Ethiopia’s armed forces deployed throughout Oromia are tasked with the duty of killing, maiming, imprisoning, and torturing the Oromo people for their alleged membership or support of the OLF.

The OLF had repeatedly issued press releases regarding the worsening situation in the country. Among the alarming signals regarding the immediate jeopardy that the OLF and OFC are about to face include;
1. The residence of Mr. Daawud Ibsa, Chairman of the OLF, is currently under siege by members of the Ethiopian security and armed forces. Mr. Ibsaa’s telephone line is completely disconnected at this time.
2. Government security vehicles are seen driving in and out of the compound of OLF headquarter in the Gullalle subdistrict of Addis Ababa. The surroundings of the OLF head quarter are also under strict surveillance.
3. Reliable sources are indicating that a number of government media outlets are directed to be at the OLF office in Gullallee on Sunday for the purpose of airing a would-be breaking news.
4. Members of the OLF are being deprived of freedom of movement and unable to perform their daily routines of duty.
5. Almost all OLF branch offices throughout Oromia have been destroyed & plundered while leaders and representatives of the organization are jailed.
6. All OLF offices in the suburbs of Finfinne are looted and ransacked.
7. OLF headquarter offices in Gullalle are being searched without any warrant and the imprisonment of members occupying these offices has continued unabated.
8. Ethiopia’s ruling party has embarked on luring some of the gullible and the vulnerable among OLF and OFC rank & file to some petty benefits as a mechanism to divide the integrity of the OLF with an ultimate goal of forcing the Oromo people’s quest for freedom to succumb to the aspirations of the Neo-Naftagna.
9. Oromo intellectuals and business owners are being imprisoned for their alleged support of the OLF.
10. Some members of the government’s police force and the army suspected of supporting or sympathizing with the OLF are being imprisoned while others are being fired from the government structure as employees.

In conclusion, the overall situation of the Oromo peoples’ struggle for freedom, the Oromo Liberation Front and the Oromo Federalist Congress is worrisome. Therefore, we call upon the Oromo people to be vigilant about the machinations of our enemies and to protect the national interest of Oromia, safeguard the integrity of its lead organizations, the OLF & OFC, and the unity of the leaders of our struggle for freedom.
The heroic deeds the Oromo people, both at home and abroad, had hitherto exhibited are very much appreciated and unparalleled by any account. We reiterate the imperative for the Oromo people to stay the course and remain the vanguard of the Oromo Peoples’ struggle for freedom in unison.

Victory to the Oromo People!

July 25, 2020