Author Archives: advocacy4oromia

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne

Feb 17

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(Advocacy4Oromia, Melbourne, 17 February 2020) Melbourne’s Oromo community rallied on February 17 as part of a world-wide action in solidarity with the Oromo people.

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne, 17 February 2020

Demonstrators marched from Victorian Parliament to Federation Square, where community leaders spoke of unity in the face of oppression.

Speaking to the crowd on Monday, President of Australian Oromo Community, Dr Tarekegn Cimdi said that the community organised the rally to express their grave concerns and to demand the international community to pay attention to the development in Ethiopia.

Dr Tarekegn Cimdi

“Today here in Melbourne the Oromo community staging the rally to Stand in solidarity with the Oromo people and to be witness of the suffering people,” said Dr Tarekegn Cimdi.

Demonstrators denounced the killings and violent repressions being meted out by the regime.

Demonstrators also appealed to the Government of Australia and the wider international community to put diplomatic, political, economic pressure on the Ethiopian regime that’s waging an undeclared war on Oromo people in Oromia.

“While we’re here today in the spirit of solidarity and love, government must respect the Oromo dignity, Oromo peace and Oromo freedom,” said one of the demonstrators.

He added that the Oromo is “peace, equality and non-discrimination. We stand together promote peace, to stand against violence, and to raise the awareness of the Australian public about the atrocities, violent political repression, and massive violation of human rights in Oromia and the wider Ethiopia.”

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne, 17 February 2020

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne, 17 February 2020

A renowned Oromo activist Urgé Dinegde, also expressed strong message about the sliding backwards of Ethiopia under Abiy Ahmed on her Facebook.

” Under this government, protesters have been jailed, the internet has been blocked… I know this for a fact, university students have been killed and a new law has just been passed that could jail people whose online posts stir ‘so called’ unrest.”

“However, Mr Lencho Bati, a senior adviser to the office of the prime minister, says the government of Abiy has done nothing wrong. I could not disagree anymore. It is time to call out the fake and phony profiting from the continued instability,” she says.

Rights groups say the Oromo have been systematically marginalised and persecuted for the last 150 years. Some estimates put the number of Oromo political prisoners in Ethiopia as high as 10,000 as of February 2020.

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne, 17 February 2020

According to Amnesty International at least 75 supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) were arrested over the weekend from various places in different parts of Oromia Regional State, as Ethiopian authorities intensify the crackdown on dissenting political views ahead of the general elections.

“The return of mass arrests of opposition activists and supporters is a worrying signal in Ethiopia,” Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa.

The message of Australian Oromo community is just calling for peace and freedom. “We’re not afraid to stand together, to be able to stand against violence and repression.  We join the Oromo protests to help raise our voices against a shared experience of brutal repression by the State.”

Australian Oromo community stages solidarity Rally in Melbourne, 17 February 2020

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Oromo Solidarity rally to be held in Melbourne

Feb 9

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(A4O, 9 February 2020) The Australian Oromo Community is organizing a solidarity rally in Melbourne on Monday, 17th of February 2020.

According to the information received, the Oromo solidarity rally is organised to stand in solidarity with, and show support for, Oromos under a renewed attack and persecution in western and southern Oromia.

The organisers of the rally also aimed to appeal to the Government of Australia and the wider international community to put diplomatic, political, economic pressure on the Ethiopian regime that’s waging an undeclared war on Oromia.

“We’re not afraid to stand together, to be able to stand against violence and promote nonviolence,” said one of the members of Oromo community who planned to attend Monday’s rally.

The promotional flyer also indicate that the rally aimed to call for an urgent humanitarian support for the over five million displaced Oromos and the tens of thousands seeking refuge in the neighboring countries.

Similar solidarity rallies are underway in North America, and Europa to raise the awareness of the public about the atrocities, violent political repression, and massive violation of human rights in Oromia and the wider Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian regime are well known in massive violation of human rights in Oromia and the wider Ethiopia.

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5 Fascinating Facts About The Oromo Language and Culture

5 Fascinating Facts About The Oromo Language and Culture

Jan 19

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By Maia Nikitina

Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromoo, and Oromiffa, is a language from the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and the third most widely spoken language in Africa, after Arabic and Hausa. The Oromo people are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. They are an indigenous African people who have maintained their cultural identity and language despite the Oromo language being forbidden for much of the 20th century. Most Oromos live in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia and Somalia), Kenia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, as well as in the Oromo Diaspora abroad.

  1. The Oromo Written Language Is One Of The Youngest In The World

The Oromo language was banned in Ethiopia for many years, forbidden from being used in schools and in the public sphere. In 1991, the language was allowed again. In the early 1970s, the Oromo Liberation Front decided on the Latin alphabet as the official script for the Oromo language. It is also sometimes written with the Arabic script, as well as the Ge’ez script and the Shaykh Bakri Sapalo orthography. The Oromo writing system based on the Roman alphabet is called Qubee. Due to the political situation that affected the Oromo language for a long time, it is one of the youngest languages in the world to become a written language.

Speakers of all variations of Oromo can easily understand each other, although the relatively late development of the writing system means that there are some differences in written dialects as the writing system is not fully standardised across all of the Oromo language.

  1. Oromian Literature Was Mostly Oral Until 1970s

The Oromos have a rich oral literary tradition which is expressed through various songs for all life eventualities, as well as poems, proverbs, and storytelling.

Since being allowed again, the language has experienced a literary revival, with popular plays, novels, and short stories published in the Oromo language. Dhaabaa Wayyessaa’s play Dukanaan Duuba (Beyond the Darkness), propelled the playwright and novelist to national fame in the early 1990’s. Another good example of Oromo’s development as a literary language is Gaaddisaa Birru’s novel Kuusaa Gaddoo.

  1. The Oromo People Created One Of The Earliest Democracies

The traditional Oromo society is structured according to the Gadaa system, also spelled as Gada. The system is considered to be one of the earliest democratic societies in the world and is based on an 8-yearly election of all political, military, economic, religious, and social administration.

The society has five classes with one fulfilling the function of the ruling class; this changes every 8 years. Each class progresses through a number of grades before it can participate in authority.

A Gadaa election is preceded by a campaign. One of the basic rules of the Gadaa is that a father and his son are always exactly five grades apart, which is always forty years. This means that the Gadaa class incorporates people of various ages.

  1. Most Oromos Live In Rural Areas

Around 90 percent of Oromia’s population are employed in agriculture, producing coffee, pulses, oil, and animal products such as hides and skins.

  1. The Irreechaa Ceremony Is Oromo Thanksgiving

Each September, millions of the Oromo people gather on the shores of Hora Harsade (Lake Harsadi or Arsadi) for the Irreechea Ceremony. The meaning of the ceremony is to give thanks and to pray to Waaqa (God).

Many Oromo people practise monotheism, and the Irreechaa ritual ceremony is believed to be one of the oldest forms of monotheism in Africa.

There are two types of the Irreechaa ceremonies: Irreechaa Tulluu (Irreecha on a mountain) and Irreechaa Malkaa (Irreechaa on a river). Irreechaa Tulluu is practised on top of mountains and hills during dry season. It is usually performed in March. Irreechaa Malkaa is celebrated either near a local body of water or at Lake Arsadi in Bishoftu which is located about 45 km from the capital of Oromia, Finfinnee.

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“What did OLF do in the past several decades?”

“What did OLF do in the past several decades?”

Dec 29

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REFLECTION ON THE PAST 50 YEARS!

By Giftii Wako 

The question that is becoming popular these days. For some it is pure ignorance and for others it is a way of discrediting the accomplishments thus far. I felt it was necessary to reflect, assess, and share.

You know how modest some of us are in terms of explaining our professional/personal achievements and take them for granted? The same goes with OLF! Let’s not be modest with this one! Time to reflect and celebrate the successes including the major milestones of this great organization that most of us proudly associate ourselves with and is a symbol of our eenyummaa!

The information below was gathered though an informal chat and text exchanges with a few individuals.

  • The people who created OLF were the ones who led the movement that toppled Haile Selassie (1974). These same people drafted the historical land reform declaration that gave the land back to Oromo farmers.
  • Before OLF was created, Oromo people were referred to as Gallas. It was through undying devotion and the sacrifice OLF paid that our people proudly started calling themselves Oromo or Oromoota (plural). It took years to educate them self-determination and convince Oromos to call themselves Oromo rather than Galla, an abusive slur used mostly by Amharas. Galla was a derogatory term used to refer to pagan, savage, uncivilized, uncultured, enemy, slave or inherently inferior (Melbaa,1999).
  • OLF created the current federal system and the constitution that gave the Oromiyaa statehood that we are all proud of today. The map of Oromiyaa that we see today was possible through this constitution.
  • OLF enabled the Oromo language to become one of the widely spoken languages in the horn of Africa.
  • Qubee became an Oromo alphabet and is widely and effectively used today. The new generation can speak in Afaan Oromoo in Oromiyaa regions and can read and write in Qubee.
  • Our flag, the symbol of our identity and the emblem of our struggle, became extremely popular and the people proudly associate themselves to it. OLF played a significant role in making this happen regardless of all the resistance from every corner in the country.
  • It is by the sacrifice of our OLF heroes and heroines that the name Oromo became known on the world stage.
  • OLF played pivotal role in reviving Oromo culture/heritage including Oromo music and art.
  • OLF made Oromos to be known to the rest of the world via Oromo study journals and OSA, “The Oromo Studies Association is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary organization established to promote and foster scholarly studies in all fields pertaining to the Oromo people.” (OSA, 2019)
  • OLF challenged fake Ethiopiawinet narratives which were built for decades.
  • OLF drafted education curriculum in Afaan Oromoo in Oromiyaa region.
  • Oromiyaa National Anthem was created by OLF.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress”

#OLF_last_50_years_milestones

 

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Maal Nuu Wayya

Maal Nuu Wayya

Dec 16

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Kumkumme sirbaatiin

Baatii Sadaasa 2019 keessa Oromiyaa deemee baatii tokko tureen deebi’e. Bara 2018 yeroo hogganni ABO biyyatti deebi’u waliin eemalee, Dhiha Oromiyaa naannoo tokko tokko daawwadheen ture. Deemsa koo yeroo ammaa fi isa bara dabree wal bira qabee haala jiru xiinxaluu yaaleen jira. Wanneen gurguddaan shan argeen jira:
1. Mirqaannii fi abdiin bara 2018 ture sun bakkaa ka’ee jira.
2. Oromoon yaadaan burjaaja’ee (confused) ta’ee jira.
3. Gartuun Lammaa ykn Lammaa Team jedhamu diigameera.
4. Mootummaan aangoo irra jiru farra Oromoo taheera.
5. Dr Abiyi Ahmed ifaa ifatti ilmaan Nafxanyaan dhuunfatamee jira. Mee isaan kana tokko tokkon haa ilaallu.

Akka mootummaan Wayyaanee bakkaa ka’een abdii fi hawwiin ture mootummaa miidhaa fi cunqursaa ture akka hin deebinetti kaasuu tu dhalata, dimokraasii dhugaatu bakka qabata, Oromoon lammata hin miidhamu kan jedhu hawwii ture. Karaa nagaan siyaasaa gaggeessuun ni danda’ama kan jedhutu abdatamaa ture. Sun waggaa tokko keessatti dhabamee jira. Abdiin duraan ture amma hin jiru. Sirna bulchiinsa biyyichaa isa bara Wayyaanee otoo hin taane kan bara mootii moototaa Hayile Sillaasee fi Miniliktti deebisuun MM Dr Abiy marxifatee hojjataa jira. Oromoo kan ati hawwaa turte bakka hin jiru, buttuun ykn cululleen fudhateetti. Mudhii kee jabeeffadhu.

Oromoon yaadaan burjaaja’uun hubadhee jira. Mootummaan aangoo irra jiru kan Oromoo ti warri jedhan amma iyyu jiru. Oromoo inni kaan ammoo mootummaan kun miidhaa nurraa gahaa jira keenya miti jedhaa jira. Akka sabaatti mootummaa kana irratti Oromoon ejjennoo tokko irra gahee hin jiru. Dhaaboti siyaasaa Oromoos mootummaa farra Oromoo tahe kana irratti ejjennoo cimaan gad bahanii dubbachuu haala isaan dandeessisu keessa hin jiran. Waraana Bilisummaa Oromoo didee bosonatti hafe iyyuu galchuu dhaaf tattaaffiin godhamu hin dhaabbanne. Dhaaboti siyaasaa Oromoo filmaata tarii godhamu maluuf of qopheessuu irratti humnaa fi qabeenya isaanii dhangalaasaa jiru. Kanaaf yaadi Oromoo burjaaja’ee jira

Sochiin diddaa gabrummaa ummatni Oromoo, Qeerroo fi Qarreen durfamee mootummaa Wayyaanee irratti gaggeese, wareegama ulfaataa booda, mooraa EPRDF keessaa gartuu Lammaa jedhamu as baase. Gartuun kunis akka as baheen gooftaan keenya ummata keenya jedhee aantummaa ummataa qabaachuu isaa labse. Ummatni Oromoo shakkii qabuu wajjin Team Lammaa kanatti imaanaa kenne. Gartuun kun gaaffii siyaasaa ummatni Oromoo qabu fiixa baasee injifannoon xumura jedhamee abdatame. Gartuun Lammaa kun yeroo jalqabaa waan aantummaa ummata Oromoo qabu of fakkeessuun yaalii godheen yaada ummata Oromoo hatuu danda’ee ture. Akka buleen garuu mootummaan maqaa Oromoo qabu jedhamu farra ummata Oromoo tahuu isaa of saaxilaa dhufe. Garee Lammaa keessa sabboontota jiran Obbo Lammaa dabalatee bakkaa kaasuu dhaan moggeessee tapha siyaasaa ala godhuun garee ykn Team Lammaa kana diige. Kan kana godhe ammoo Dr Abiy dha. Har’a gareen Lammaa kan ummatni Oromoo imaanaa itti kennate hin jiru, diigameera.

Mootummaan Itophiyaa har’a jiru farra ummata Oromoo ti. Kun mootummaa Federaalaa fi Naannoo Oromiyaa dabalata. Waan gara biraa dhiifnee kan barattoota Oromoo university naannoo Amaaraa keessa jiran irratti raawatamaa jiru ilaaluun ni gaha. Barattooti Oromoo naannoo Amaaraatti ramadaman guyyuu du’aa yeroo jiran mootummaa Federaalaa seeraa fi sirna eegisuu irra jiru, mootummaan naannoo Oromiyaa ammoo lammii isaa miidhaman bira dhaabbatee nageenya isaaniif wabii ta’uun irra eegamu homaa godhaa hin jiran. Mootummaan Naannoo Amaaraa barattoota isaa Oromiyaa keessa jiran fe’atee yeroo fudhatu, kan Oromiyaa garuu homaa godhaa hin jiru. Tarkaanfii fudhachuu dhiisuun MNO kun akka Oromoon mootummaa isaaf dhaabbatu, falmu, wabii tahuuf hin qabne mirkaneessa.

Bulchitoota biyya Itophiyaa qabatan keessaa kan akka Dr. Abiyi Oromoo afaanfajjeessee fi dogoggorse jira hin fakkaatu. Bara Dargii Tafarii Bantii yeroo aangoo irra ture Oromoo nama keenya jedhee of hin daganne. Bara Wayyaanee Dr. Nagaasoon Prezidaantii dha jedhee of hin daganne. Bara ammaa kana garuu Oromoon gareen aangoo of harkaa qabu kan keenya jedhee garaa hiruun mul’atee jira. Dogoggora guddaa dha. Dr. Abiy nama gaararraa, gamaa fi gamana fakkaatu dha. Yeroo Oromoo bira dhaqu, “isin naaf hin hubannee, an malaan Oromoof hojjadhaan jira” jedha. Warra habashaa bira dhaqee ammoo an “ Itophiyaa ishee durii deebisuuf hojjadha” jedha. Gidduu lamaan fiigaa turee ‘Andinati Park’ waan jedhamu oggaa tolchu Minilik nama Oromoon farda isaa Goorgis biratti arguu jibbu, bifa haaraan tolche gad nuu baase. Nafxanyaan dhuunfatamuu isaa mallattoo isa jalqabaa ture.

Otooo kun sammuu ummata Oromoo jeeqaa jiruu, paartii haaraa PP jedhamu tolche jedhee labse. Dhibdee fi shakkii kan uume Partii haaraa tolchuu osoo hin taane akeekaa fi sagantaa paartiin kun lafa kaawwatee dha. PP n kan dhaabbatee maqaa sabootaan dhaabbileen ijaaraman diigamanii, sabaan of ijaaruu, naannoon sabaan of bulchan hafee Itophiyaan ishee dullatti durii deebisanii lubbuu itti horuuf kan akeekkatee dha. Akeeki kun ammaa hawwii fi fedhii ilmaan Nafxanyootaa ti. Oromoo! nama siidaa Minilik ijaaruu irraa waanti ati eegdu hin jiru. Kanaaf Dr. Abiyi ilmaan Nafxanyaan dhuunfatameera, Oromoo abdii kutadhu kan jennuuf.

Ganama Warra Amaaraan Maaltu Deemaa jira?

Warri Amaaraa ifaa ifatti Itophiyaa nutu bulchuu qaba, olaantummaan Amaaraa deebi’uu qaba jedhanii labsaa jiru. As irratti Itophiyummaa fi Amaarummaan wal maka. Nafxanyooti Oromiyaa fi kibba keessa jiran maqaa EZMA fi ABN jedhamuun of haa gurmeessan malee akeeki isaanii Itophiyaa ishee durii deebisuu dha. Isheen durii sun ammoo kan Amaarri olaantummaa itti qabu, kan Afaan Amaaraa kan mootummaa fi barnootaa tahu, amantiin ammoo Ortodoksii duwwaa tahu dha. Sochiin sabooti mirga isaanii kabajchiifachuuf godhan waan isaan yaaddesseef, biyyuma Amaaraa keessatti sochiin saba Agawu fi Qimaant waan itti dhoheef dhabamuu keenya waan jedhu irraa sochii ijibbaataa godhaa jiru. Amaara bakka jirutti hidhachiisaa fi ijaaraa jiru. Meeshaan lolaa hagana hin jedhamne Oromiyaa seenee fi seenaa jira. Oromoo humnaan cabsinee of jelatti bulchina jedhanii abjootaa jiru. Sagantaa bal’aa yeroo dheeraa fi gabaabaa baafatanii sochii eegalanii jiru. Oromootti haablee qarataa jiru. Yoo sagantaa isaanii milkaaweef Oromo fi Oromiyaa irratti balaa guddaatu as deemaa jira. Waan eessa geessi jedhanii tuffatanii bira dabran utuu hin taane Oromoon of ittisuuf ammaa irraa marii jalqabuu qaba.

Egaa Oromoof Maaltu Wayya?

Mee dhugaa tokko waliif haa himnu. Oromoon yeroo ammaa dhaaba balaa isatti gaggaammatame irraa ittisuuf ifa bahee qabsoo godhu, hoggana kennu hin qabu. Maaliif kana jetta jechuu dandeessu. Mootummaan amma aangoo irra jiru dhaabota mormitoota tahan hundaa kottaa galaa karaa nagaa qabsoo siyaasaa gaggeessaa jedhee biyyatti galchee tohannoo isaa jalatti dhuunfatee jira. Sochiin dhaaboti maqaa Oromoo godhan mootummaa Itophiyaan tohatamaa jira. Akka isaan achi hin fagaanne horii haga tokko itti kennee, garii ammoo boordii filannoo beekumsa kenneefii akka haala jiru irratti hin xiyyeeffanne godhee jira. Akkasumas Qeerroo fi Qarreen burjaajii fi dawwaawu keessa jiran. Mootummaan Dr. Abiy qabsoo Oromoo qabbaneessuuf shaaxira hojjataa ture amma harkatti dhumataa jira. Garuu Qeerroo fi Qarreen kanati bayyanatii haga qabsoo isaanii fininsatti yeroo haga tokko ni fudhata taha. Oromoon balaa isatti aggaamamee jiru hubatee dafee maarshii isaa geeddaruu, afaan mi’aawuu MM sobamuu dhiisee qabsoo isaa hatattamaan itti fufun furmaata ni fida.

Dhaaboti siyaasaa Oromoo filannoo ni godhama jedhamutti of dagatanii qabsoo gosa kaan dagachuu hin qaban. Filannoon ni godhama jedhamaa jirus walabaa fi haqa ni taha jedhanii eeguun of gowwomsuu dha. Filannoof of qopheessuun itti fufu illee shira mootummaan godhuuf malu yaadaan qabuun barbaachisaa dha. Shira paartii haaraa PP jedhamu dura dhaabbachuuf dhaaboti siyaasaa Oromoo walii isaanii giddutti tokkummaa qabaachuun filmaata kan hin qabnee dha. Mata mataatti dorgomnee mo’anna kan jedhu tasa kan hin baafne tahuun hubatamee akkaataa waloon dura dorgomamu irratti hatattamaan wal hubannoo irra gahuun barbaachisaa dha. Balaa humnaan Oromoo miidhuuf warri Amaaraa sagantaa qopheeffataa jiran dura dhaabbachuuf akka Oromummaatti, akka qaama tokkootti, of gurmeessuu, wal hidhachiisuu, wal leenjisuu fi hoggana sadarkaa sadarkaan tolchuun fardii dha.

Xumuruuf

Garrii mootummaan Dr. Abiy itti deemaa jiru faallaa waan Oromoon qabsoo godhee kumaan itti wareegamee ti. Daran iyyuu isa bara Wayyaanee fi Dargii bira taree kan bulchiinsa Minilik fi Hayile Sillaasee deebisuuf mallattoo agarsiisaa jira. Dr. Abiy sabboonummaa Oromummaa copha tokko illee hin qabu. Inni nafxanyaan dhuunfatamee farra Oromoo ta’ee jira. Isa inni gad bahee afaan Oromoon jechoota tokko tokko darbatuun gowwomuu hin qabnu. Oromoon waan irraa eeggatu hin jiru. Qabsoon Bilisummaa Oromoo hoggansa dhabee afaanfajjii keessa jira. Har’a ifa bahee dhaaba mootummaa Dr. Abiy irratti kan qabsoo godhu Oromoo barbaachisa. Dhaaboti siyaasaa Oromoo biyya keessatti karaa nagaa siyaasaa irraa hirmaataa jiran kana godhuu hin danda’an. Kana beekuun Oromoo akkuma mootummaa Wayyaanee diddaa isaan hundeedhaan buqqise, mootummaa kanas bakkaa kaasuuf har’a-bor osoo hin jenne qabsoo isaa finiinsuun irraa eegama.

Horaa Bulaa
Injifannoon Ummata Oromoof
Kumkummee Sirbaa

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OSG Report 51: Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia: return to 1992

Dec 13

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The killings and detention of OLF supporters since December 2018 is similar to 1992-3 when thousands were killed and scores of thousands detained and tortured.

The current silence about killings and other abuses is eerily reminiscent of that time, when foreign powers propped up the regime of Meles Zenawi and ignored widespread atrocities.

This report is a summary of information received by OSG since June 2019.

OSG’s reporter in Norway has forwarded social media and other reports, including a report from Gadado, an organisation of human rights defenders in Ethiopia, prominent in sending information in the 1990s.

This report includes information about 64 extra-judicial killings and the arbitrary detention of over 1400 Oromo.

Most were suspected supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front, which officially returned to Ethiopia in September 2018 and is now a legal political party, registered for the 2020 election. Another 150 were reported killed in Sidama zone, SNNPR.

Once again, an Ethiopian leader is awarded international recognition while troops under his control are committing atrocities which contravene human rights law and would be classed as war crimes in a state of conflict.

Attached is the latest report – it makes very sad reading.

OSG Report 51- Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia

 

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The Milestone to Peace, Stability & Multiparty Democracy

(OLF – November 15, 2019)

Dear Oromo people,
Dear Nations, Nationalities and all peoples of Ethiopia,
Dear friends of the Oromo people’s struggle and all peace-loving members of the international community,
And above all, the revered members and supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front,
Congratulations!
Rejoicing the milestone at this juncture, we, hereby, announce that the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is certified as a legal political Party in the country by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on this 15th day of November 2019.
The OLF, founded 46 years ago to date, has remained the forefront organization in leading the Oromo people’s struggle for freedom and justice that exhibited major victories in the course of its tenure. The organization also played key roles in fostering fundamental changes in Ethiopia’s political discourse as a transformational political actor during those years. As a testament to this assertion, OLF has immensely contributed to the 1991/92 transitional charter that laid the foundations of Ethiopia’s multi-national federalism, a political arrangement that suits a multi-ethnic polity like that of Ethiopia which is also in place today.
None the less, OLF’s aspiration to move forward in transforming the country as enshrined in the transitional charter was marred by the inherently greedy, suppressive and hegemonic political establishment that was an anti-thesis to the values and the demands of the Oromo people. It was in light of such hostile political atmosphere that the Oromo Liberation Front was not only forced out of the political process but also, unjustly, labeled and declared as anti-peace and the enemy of the state. In essence, the sources of the political, economic and social nightmares that Ethiopia had to endure for so long emanated from the unjust act of alienating the OLF and others from the peaceful political process taken by the ruling party at the time. The subsequent years of instability and uncertainty had to do with the failed policies pursued by the totalitarian regime.
The unfortunate state of affairs described above had been reversed though not full-fledged or to a complete satisfaction, after decades of bitter struggle and sacrifices that did cost peoples of Ethiopia dearly. Yet, the gains reaped from the sacrifices of our peoples, however big or small they might be, sparked a new optimism for eyeing on a light at the end of the tunnel. It is with this glimpse of hope that the OLF reaffirms its commitment to relentlessly contribute to the national effort in resolving the country’s outstanding socio-political, economic and cultural issues that hitherto remained sources of bloody conflicts.
We would also like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and commend its promising effort & integrity in transforming this country.
In conclusion, the OLF calls up on all stakeholders and progressive forces to work with in solidarity for the fulfillment of our peoples’ aspiration for freedom, democracy & equality. Additionally, it is OLF’s unwavering promise to work with all concerned entities to bring about a sustainable economic development for all, lasting peace to the country in particular and to the entire region in general. Concurrent to our call for solidarity and cooperation, we would like to reiterate that the flag and emblem shown below are the official flag and emblem of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) that our members and supporters are legally allowed to use for the official duties of the organization within the bounds of the law of the land. Any entity, individual or group, who uses the OLF flag or emblem or both for the purposes of defaming the OLF, the Oromo people or attempts to incite violence among the peoples must be held accountable and should be reported to the State authorities whenever and wherever noticed.

Victory to the Mass !
Oromo Liberation Front
November 15, 2019

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OSGA: Discussion Forum

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OLF – The indivisible and the only OLF has reached a political milestone.

By Raggasaa Oljirra

The once banned, deemed terrorist and persecuted OLF for the last 28 years has emerged victorious when the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) certified it as a legal National Party in Ethiopia today. It is historic in a way because the Ethiopian political landscape that has incessantly been portraying the Oromo People’s struggle spearheaded by the OLF as a monster finally succumbed to the Country’s realty for the first time in its history. This is the right way forward: Any smear campaign, defamation, acts of marginalization/exclusion and hate propaganda against anyone did not work, never works and is not going to work.

What works best in the interest of the country and its people is reckoning with the realty and searching for a common ground. OLF is not a monster, nor it had been anything of the image its enemies had been characterizing it since its inception.

OLF was born out of the Ethiopian reality, a popular force that has clearly identified its just cause that no one was able to deny and bent on a goal that no one was able to argue against. All futile attempts to annihilate it for the last 45 years were in vain, as any similar attempt in the future is going to be as futile as the past ones. OLF is an Oromo political spirit that needs to be reckoned with. The unprecedented persistence and resilience of the man at the helm of the organization deserves a monumental recognition of the highest order, not only in the Oromo society but also in the Country’s history.

There were major organizations that were contemporaries of the OLF with even stronger and aggressive stature at the time. The EPRP, MEISON, and even the DERG that managed to be the only totalitarian ruling party for 17 years and that once presided over a mighty army by African standard, all vanished into the dust bins of history. DERG’s successor, the EPRDF is also almost dead after 28 years of a bumpy course full of treachery.

What kept OLF alive for the last 45 or so years is its just cause and the persistence of its leaders coupled with the unwavering popular support from the Oromo people at large. Compatriots who paid the ultimate price deserve the utmost respect. I feel sorry for those who abandoned the organization, declared it dead and lured the gullible into submission. They have to absorb today’s humiliating defeat once and for all as they have no time nor the moral value to remedy their dirty deeds. Certification is a mile stone indicative of a brighter future.

We will have more celebratory moments when OLF undoubtedly becomes a ruling party in Oromia and a partner in whatever national Coalition government Ethiopia is going to assemble together. I have to congratulate NEBE for signs of a new beginning in Ethiopia, i.e, signs of integrity free of political influence that had hitherto been the norm in the country.

Again, congratulations to all those who feel stake holders in this matter!!

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Why the recognition of the OLF by Ethiopia’s election board matters?

Why the recognition of the OLF by Ethiopia’s election board matters?

Nov 16

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The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) issued a certificate of registration for Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). Under normal circumstances, getting the certificate of registration to participate in an election should not be a big deal. However, the case of the OLF is different.

Why the recognition of the OLF by Ethiopia’s election board matters?

By Bedassa Tadesse

Under normal circumstances, getting the certificate of registration to participate in an election should not be a big deal. It doesn’t require jubilant celebrations. It would have come and gone, with little or no fanfare.

However, the case of the OLF is different. For many reasons. Here are some big ones.

First, it is the OLF. The onlybparty that has been, by many people, declared dead, buried, disintegrated, decayed, debilitated, ebbed, and every word you can think of in negative terms. Well, the certificate simply proves that the party, contrary to everything that is said about it, is well and alive.

Seond, the OLF represents the Oromos and Oromia, the ethnic group that has the largest population in Ethiopia; the region that makes Ethiopia, Ethiopia. Well, when an election board recognizes a party of such significance, it is a huge deal for we are effectively talking about the spinal cord if the subject is human anatomy.

Third, the fact that the OLF is recognized by Ethiopia’s election board paves the way for the party to participate in the upcoming elections. Regardless of how the party will perform in the election, this decision alone is likely to send many many people in Ethiopia to sleepless nights and headaches. That is a big deal for it has health implications.

Fourth, the decision speaks volumes about one man, Dawud Ibsa- the charismatic and incessant leader of the organization; the man that many, ( e.g., Leenco Lata, Dima Nago, Galaassa Dilbo) had ganged upon and tried their best to push him aside. It is, if not humiliating, an embarrassment for them.

Fifth, just by issuing this certificate, the board has established its own integrity and ushered a new era in Ethiopia.

Finally, the decision awkwardly proves that the actions of OPDOs, even when they do what they ought to do backfires on them. Just imagine, if they had issued this certificate as quickly as possible and with no suspense as they did for other political organizations, no one would have cared. By holding onto issuing the certificate for so long, they elevated the organization they hate to see on a mountain top. I call it a self inflicted wound by a PM who wants to act like a king. Hence, why it is a big deal.

Well, using a mathematical presentation, I can say that it is a big deal because, we just proved the following maths, if you know it.

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