A nation that cannot distinguish between its internal wounds and external threats will never be truly free.

By a Socio-Political Analyst
July 2026

INTRODUCTION: A PEOPLE WEIGHED DOWN

“Dhimmooti akka sabaatti nu rakkaa jiran hedduu dha.”
“The issues that trouble us as a people are many.”

This single sentence captures the truth of our era. Walk into any village, any city street, any refugee camp, and you will hear the same lament. We are a people surrounded by problems—some visible, some invisible; some self-inflicted, some imposed.

But here is the truth that too many of us fail to grasp: our problems are not one. They are two.

And until we learn to separate them—to name them, to understand them, to fight them accordingly—we will remain trapped in the same cycle of suffering.

This article is an attempt to do just that: to break down the crisis of our nation into its two fundamental categories—internal problems and external problems—and to chart a way forward that is neither naive nor self-destructive.

PART ONE: THE ENEMY WITHIN

“Rakkoon keessoo keenyaa kan humna keenya laaffisaa fi galii qabsoo keenyaa naaffessaa jiruu dha.”
“Our internal problem is what weakens our strength and renders the fruits of our struggle worthless.”

What Is the Internal Problem?

The internal problem is the cancer that grows from within. It is not imposed by any foreign power, though foreign powers may exploit it. It is not the result of invasion or occupation, though invaders may celebrate it. It is the product of our own failures, our own divisions, our own weaknesses.

The internal problem includes:

a) Disunity and Fragmentation
A people divided against themselves cannot stand. Today, our nation is fractured along ethnic, political, generational, and even familial lines. We have become experts at fighting each other while our real enemies watch and laugh. The question is no longer “How do we defeat our oppressors?” but rather “Which faction of us is more correct?”

b) Lack of Accountability
When leaders lie with impunity, when officials steal without consequence, when those who commit crimes against their own people walk free—the internal problem deepens. Accountability is the glue that holds a society together. Without it, everything falls apart.

c) The Death of Truth
We live in an age where truth has become optional. Propaganda, misinformation, and deliberate lies have poisoned our public discourse. When no one trusts anyone, when every fact is disputed, when every hero is also a villain—the internal problem has won.

The Cost of the Internal Problem

The internal problem does not just hurt us—it destroys us from the inside out:

• It weakens our collective strength. A people fighting among themselves cannot fight their real enemies.
• It renders our sacrifices meaningless. Blood spilled by martyrs is forgotten when we turn on each other.
• It turns us into prey. Every division is an invitation for external enemies to enter, to exploit, to conquer.

PART TWO: THE ENEMY WITHOUT

“Rakkoon alaa immoo kan jiraachuu keenya haaluun nu balleessuuf halkanii guyyaa hojjachaa jiruu dha.”
“The external problem is what works day and night to erase our very existence.”

What Is the External Problem?

The external problem is the enemy that does not sleep. It is the colonial power, the occupying army, the hostile neighbor, the international conspiracy. It is the force that does not want us to exist—not as a free people, not as a proud nation, not as a dignified society.

The external problem includes:

a) Ideological Warfare
Our enemies have understood something that we have forgotten: wars are won not with bullets alone, but with ideas. They have flooded our minds with narratives of inferiority, with histories that erase us, with futures that exclude us. They have made us doubt ourselves.

b) Economic Exploitation
The external problem takes our resources, our labor, our land. It extracts wealth from our soil and sends it across oceans. It leaves us with poverty while it grows rich on what was once ours.

c) Political Manipulation
External enemies fund our divisions. They arm one faction against another. They sit in comfortable offices thousands of miles away and watch us kill each other over borders they drew, over resources they stole, over identities they invented.

The Cost of the External Problem

The external problem is relentless:

• It threatens our very existence. Not just our freedom, but our survival as a people.
• It works day and night. There is no ceasefire, no holiday, no moment of rest for those who want us erased.
• It exploits our internal weaknesses. Every internal division is a door that the external enemy walks through.

PART THREE: THE FATAL BLINDNESS

“Dhimmoota kunneen hubachuun of-eeggannoon adeemuu fi hojjachuun nu barbaachisa.”
“Understanding these things, and proceeding and working with caution, is necessary for us.”

Why We Fail to Distinguish

The greatest danger we face is not the internal problem alone, nor the external problem alone. It is our inability to tell the difference between the two.

When we mistake an internal problem for an external one, we become paranoid and self-destructive. We see enemies everywhere, even in our own brothers and sisters. We refuse to criticize ourselves because we think every critique is a foreign plot.

When we mistake an external problem for an internal one, we become naive and vulnerable. We blame ourselves for what has been done to us. We internalize the propaganda of our enemies. We fight each other instead of fighting those who truly wish us harm.

The Path of Caution

To proceed with caution means:

• To ask, before every conflict: Is this enemy inside or outside?
• To prioritize: Internal problems must be solved internally. External problems must be confronted externally.
• To refuse manipulation: Do not let external enemies exploit internal divisions. Do not let internal failures be blamed on external forces.
• To build discernment: Not every critic is a traitor. Not every friend is loyal.

PART FOUR: WE ARE NOT SHEEP

“Bakka amma geenye kan akka laayyootti hin geenye.”
“The place we have reached is not the place of sheep.”

The Metaphor of the Sheep

The sheep is the ultimate symbol of helplessness. Sheep do not fight. Sheep do not organize. Sheep do not resist. They wait to be slaughtered, and they do not even know it.

The speaker declares: We have not arrived at the place of sheep.

This is a statement of defiance. It is a declaration that despite our internal problems, despite our external enemies, despite everything—we are still a people of courage, of resistance, of dignity.

What It Means to Refuse Sheephood

To refuse to be sheep means:

• To wake up. No more waiting for someone else to save us.
• To organize. No more fighting alone or in small, isolated groups.
• To fight. No more accepting defeat as inevitable.
• To die standing. No more kneeling before those who would destroy us.

PART FIVE: STRENGTHEN WHAT YOU HAVE, COMPLETE WHAT REMAINS

“Waantota argannes jabeeffachaa, kanneen hafan guuttachuutti xiyyeeffachuun barbaachisaa dha.”
“Strengthening what we have already achieved, and focusing on completing what remains, is essential.”

The Two Movements of Struggle

Every successful struggle has two movements: consolidation and advancement.

First, consolidation: We must look at what we have already built. Our culture. Our language. Our history. Our heroes. Our moments of unity. Our acts of resistance. Our victories—however small. These are not nothing. These are foundations. And foundations must be strengthened before they can support more weight.

Second, advancement: We must look at what remains undone. Our political freedom. Our economic independence. Our social justice. Our true unity. These are not dreams. These are tasks. And tasks must be completed one by one, stone by stone, day by day.

What We Have Already Achieved

We have achieved:

• Awareness that we are a distinct people with rights
• Resistance that has shaken oppressive systems
• Cultural revival that has reconnected generations
• Global solidarity that has put our cause on world maps

These must be strengthened. Not taken for granted. Not abandoned for the next shiny thing.

What Remains to Be Completed

What remains:

• True political self-determination
• Economic liberation from exploitation
• Social healing from trauma and division
• Permanent victory over both internal and external enemies

These must be completed. Not postponed. Not negotiated away.

CONCLUSION: THE TWO-FRONT WAR

We are fighting a war on two fronts.

Inside: Against our own weakness, our own division, our own lack of accountability, our own death of truth.

Outside: Against those who would erase us, exploit us, manipulate us, and destroy us.

To win this two-front war, we must:

1. Distinguish between the two enemies. Do not confuse them.
2. Prioritize internal healing before external confrontation. A broken army cannot win.
3. Stay vigilant against manipulation. External enemies will use internal divisions. Internal failures will be blamed on external plots.
4. Refuse sheephood. We are not helpless. We are not waiting for slaughter.
5. Strengthen what we have. Our culture, our unity, our resistance.
6. Complete what remains. Our freedom, our justice, our victory.

FINAL WORD: A CALL TO DISCERNMENT

“Bakka amma geenye kan akka laayyootti hin geenye.”

The sheep does not know the difference between the shepherd and the wolf. The sheep follows anyone who makes noise. The sheep walks calmly to the slaughterhouse.

We are not sheep.

We are a people who have survived centuries of attempts to erase us. We are a people who still speak our language, sing our songs, tell our stories, and dream our dreams. We are a people who have not given up.

But survival is not enough. Survival is not victory. Survival is not freedom.

To be truly free, we must win the war on two fronts. We must heal ourselves while fighting our enemies. We must strengthen what we have while completing what remains. We must see clearly—with eyes wide open—the difference between the enemy within and the enemy without.

May we have the wisdom to distinguish.
May we have the courage to fight.
May we have the unity to win.

“The issues that trouble us as a people are many. But they are not infinite. And they are not invincible. They are two. And two can be defeated.”

Author’s Note:
This article is based on a reflective text analyzing the dual nature of a nation’s struggles—internal and external. It serves as both a warning and a roadmap for any people seeking liberation from both self-inflicted wounds and imposed oppression. The principles discussed apply universally, though the specific context remains rooted in the Oromo experience and the broader Ethiopian reality.

© 2026 – For Truth, Unity, and Victory