An open letter to every Oromo who still believes in Bilisummaa

By: Daandii Ragabaa

Publication: Advocacy for Oromia
Date: April 15, 2026

1. The Bitter Truth

“Dubbiin baay’ee hamaadha.”
The truth is very bitter.

For seven years, we have been told that the Oromo struggle is moving forward. We have raised flags. We have sung songs. We have buried our children. And all the while, a cancer was eating the movement from the inside.

This is not the story of our enemies. This is our story. And it is time we looked in the mirror.

2. What We Have Learned

Recent investigative reporting has uncovered what many of us feared but could not prove:

• A shadow network – built not by the people, but by the state and its collaborators – has been operating inside the heart of the Oromo movement for years.
• Mass killings in Ambo and Waliso were not carried out by outsiders. They were carried out by the same people who now wear the flag and claim leadership.
• A secret cell called #120, founded by a former OPDO military member named Mammush, was built for one purpose: to steal the name of the struggle and commit crimes under it.
• Genuine Qeerroo leaders confronted this cell, tried to reform it, and were ignored. Then they were killed or imprisoned.
• When the political transition came, the same criminals simply changed their hats – from “thugs” to “leaders” – and the world applauded.

3. The Names We Must Not Forget

Let us speak the names that the network wants buried:

• Jaal Galaana Immaana – consumed by the same people who now rule Ambo.
• Jaala Boruu Lammeessaa – a young man who started inside the network, saw the truth, fled to the forest, and was martyred.
• Baayisaa Huseen – once a detainee, now the head of security in Ambo, hunting down every Oromo nationalist he ever knew.
• Kaasayee Qananiisa – a mafia figure who never fought for liberation, only for theft, now protected by police commanders.
• Charuu Kabaa– a killer who operated under his father’s police badge, recently blessed at a hotel with 50,000 birr from the Ambo administrator.
• Jaal Battee Urgeessaa-a true fighter who was killed by a gang of thieves; his justice has not yet been done
• Jaal Mo’iboon Baqqalaa-a true fighter who was killed by a gang of thieves; his justice has not yet been done

These are not enemies of Oromia. They are the wolves inside the sheepfold.

4. A Case Study: A Betrayal We Cannot Forgive

One of the most heartbreaking betrayals detailed in this investigation took place in Ambo was a broken case of the representative of OFC- Qana’aa Chuuchee.

Then came the crackdown. Imprisonment. Killings. Displacement.

What followed was a brutal crackdown:

• Imprisonment
• Killings
• Forced displacement

That informant is named Qana’aa Chuuchee – described as the representative of OFC in Ambo. He stayed with the community from Maekalawi to Qilinxoo.

And today, the same people who ordered that crackdown are still in power. Still wearing the flag. Still calling themselves leaders of the struggle.

5. The Child with the Plastic Leg

Perhaps the most obscene symbol of this network is the child with one leg. He was taken to a hotel, displayed, beaten, and abandoned. A performance of suffering. A propaganda prop.

Ask yourself: Who benefits from such cruelty? Not the struggle. Not Oromia.

6. What Is #120?

For those who do not know: #120 was one of approximately 120 underground structures built by Oromo youth during the height of the Qeerroo protests. Some were genuine. Some were not.

#120 was built by Mammush – a former OPDO fighter. Its goal was never liberation. Its goal was crime.

When genuine Qeerroo discovered this, they tried to absorb and reform the cell. But the criminals refused. And when the political winds changed, the #120 members simply changed their koofiyyaa (hat) and declared themselves the new leadership.

Today, the mafia that runs Ambo – and parts of the broader Oromo political landscape – is the direct descendant of #120.

7. The System That Protects Them

Let us be clear: The Prosperity Party (PP) is a mafia system. It does not fight crime. It recruits it.

The same state that once jailed genuine Oromo nationalists now protects the criminals who wear the nationalist mask. Why? Because fake nationalists are useful. They can control the people. They can steal the money. They can kill the real opposition.

And the people? The people are told: “These are your leaders. These are the heroes of the struggle.”

We have been lied to.

8. What Must Be Done

This op-ed is not written to destroy hope. It is written to save it.

We cannot heal what we refuse to name. So here is what we demand:

First: A full, independent investigation into the killings in Ambo and Waliso – with international observers if necessary.

Second: The immediate removal and prosecution of Baayisaa Huseen, Kaasayee Qananiisa, Charuu Kabaa, and all known operatives of the #120 network.

Third: Protection for whistleblowers. The person who provided the information for this investigation is still alive – for now. That should not be temporary.

Fourth: A truth and reconciliation process within the Oromo movement. We must separate genuine liberation structures from criminal infiltrators.

Fifth: Public disclosure. Every person who transitioned from Woyyane-era detention into current leadership must be named and vetted.

Sixth: Community vigilance. Ask the hard questions: Who benefits from this struggle? Who dies? Who gets rich?

9. To the Young Qeerroo and Qarree

You are the reason the struggle still breathes. But you must also be the reason it is cleansed.

Do not follow flags blindly. Do not chant names you have not investigated. Do not give your blood to those who sell your future.

The real heroes are not the ones on hotel stages. The real heroes are the ones in the forest, in the prisons, and in the graves. The real heroes are the ones who refused to wear the mask.

10. A Final Word

The truth is very bitter. But it is the only medicine.

For too long, we have been silent because we feared division. But division is already here. It was created by the very people we now protect.

Let us not be afraid to say: The struggle was hijacked. And we looked away.

No more looking away.

Bilisummaa – but only if it is real.
Nagaa – but only if it is just.