FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2026 — Advocacy for Oromia has issued a formal statement rejecting the alliance recently concluded with northern forces, condemning it as a political maneuver that fails to address the fundamental grievances of the Oromo people. In its statement, the organization outlined four key demands:

1. The government must engage in dialogue with armed groups operating within Oromia in order to establish genuine and sustainable security for the region.
2. Armed groups operating within Oromia must refrain from any actions that harm Oromo interests, and must cease all activities that undermine the wellbeing of the Oromo people.
3. Armed groups operating within Oromia must work together in coordination to ensure the security of Oromia, placing unity of purpose above division.
4. All parties must firmly safeguard and uphold the victories achieved by the Oromo people, ensuring that no agreement or political arrangement dishonors or diminishes those hard-won gains.

Advocacy for Oromia emphasized that any political framework that fails to recognize the historical suffering of the Oromo people — spanning the imperial era, the Derg regime, the EPRDF government, and the current administration — cannot serve as a legitimate basis for peace or justice. The organization warned that alliances built on the omission of past wrongs risk perpetuating the same structural injustices that have long afflicted Oromia.

The statement further criticized the recent alliance for portraying the current crisis as an aberration rather than the inevitable consequence of centuries of Oromo subjugation, insisting that genuine transformative justice — not symbolic recognition — is the only path forward.

Advocacy for Oromia reaffirmed its commitment to the liberation, justice, and systemic change sought by the Oromo people, declaring that mere survival is not enough.

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