FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Coalition of Voices Stands with Australian Jewish Community, Condemns Bondi Terror Attack

A collective of community and advocacy groups has issued a resolute statement of solidarity with the Australian Jewish community following the horrific antisemitic terror attack that targeted peaceful Hanukkah celebrations in Bondi. The statement, shared publicly, expresses profound grief and an unwavering commitment to stand alongside the community.

“The deepest sympathy and love goes out to the bereaved families, the victims, first responders, and all those impacted in the Jewish and wider Bondi community,” the declaration begins. “We share your grief and we will always stand by you.”

The statement delivers a firm condemnation of antisemitism, declaring it has no place in Australia. It asserts the universal right for all people to feel and be safe in their identities, “free to practice our faiths, live our cultures, celebrate with family, and be in community with one another.”

In the wake of the violence, the coalition calls for a reaffirmation of shared humanity, honouring the memories of those killed and celebrating the national outpouring of “unity, courage, and care” shown by millions of Australians.

Drawing a clear line against division, the statement warns of the dangers of scapegoating communities based on identity. “We reject efforts to create further division through fear, polarisation, and disinformation,” it reads, echoing the NSW Faith Affairs Council’s message: “We will not let hatred and violence divide us. Across all our cultures and faiths, we will stand united in sympathy, compassion and solidarity.“

Beyond solidarity, the coalition makes a forward-looking commitment to action. It is “resolute in our collective commitment to defend everyone’s rights to safety, culture and faith, and to build a peaceful society.” Significantly, it pledges to deepen understanding of the roots of anti-Jewish racism to better identify and prevent it in the future.

The statement concludes with a simple, powerful affirmation: “We stand with the Australian Jewish community, in love and solidarity.”

The full statement and list of supporting groups can be found at the provided link: https://australiandemocracy.org.au/solidarity-with-jewish-community

Our SBS Afaan Oromoo team recently hosted a special podcast episode celebrating a unique and empowering Oromo cultural tradition. We were honored to feature Aadde Fayinee Qabatoo, who shared her personal and heartfelt insights into Shanan—the sacred five-day postpartum celebration.

“Even though I have a large extended family, the solidarity of women, especially during my own Shanan, brought me an indescribable joy,” Aadde Fayinee reflected. “It is our duty to preserve and continue this beautiful custom.”

Before introducing our guest, let’s explore the tradition itself. Among the rich tapestry of Oromo culture is a special right and practice belonging to women: the observance of Shanan. This is a dedicated five-day period following childbirth where a new mother is honored and supported by her community of women. Shanan is a powerful cultural system designed to strengthen female solidarity and provide crucial nurturing and rest for mothers during the postpartum phase.

The Rituals of Shanan: Nourishment, Rest, and Blessing

The celebration begins with the preparation of marqaa (a special porridge). The women gather, prepare the marqaa together, and share it. A unique ritual follows the meal: the plate on which the marqaa was eaten is not simply cleaned. Instead, a specific practice is observed where the plate is respectfully placed on the ground.

The new mother, adorned by the women as a queen for the day, is then escorted with great care to a specially prepared resting place. She sits in a designated spot, surrounded by a circle of supporting women. A special meal, askuti, is prepared and served to her by her closest female relatives or friends.

After everyone has eaten and the ceremonies are complete, one specific plate is singled out. This plate is used to bless the new mother before being placed on the ground. Children playing nearby might race to snatch something from the setup, a playful moment believed by some to be a sign of shared fortune among the participants. The day then continues with singing, celebration, eating, drinking, and communal bonding.

A Tradition of Profound Benefit

This custom is understood to offer significant psychological and emotional benefits for the new mother. It is said to generate a profound sense of joy and happiness that is deeply felt. “The feeling of joy and elation I experienced wasn’t just my own—it was shared,” is a common sentiment expressed by participants.

During our conversation, Aadde Fayinee elaborated on these aspects. Our program, recognizing the immense role Shanan plays in the peace and health of women, aims to explore this tradition further by engaging with other knowledgeable elders and those with direct experience.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Aadde Fayinee for generously sharing her insights and personal reflections.

This article is based on a recent SBS Afaan Oromoo podcast segment, presented as a community-focused piece to educate, celebrate, and encourage the respectful preservation of the Shanan tradition.

Source: SBS Afaan Oromoo

Finfinnee — The Oromo community and the wider world mourn the passing of Dr. Hamdeessaa Tusoo, a revered intellectual, educator, and human rights advocate whose contributions spanned continents and generations.

Born in Kuyyeera, Nagellee, Arsi Oromia, Dr. Hamdeessaa rose from humble beginnings to become a globally recognized scholar. His work, which spanned Africa, Ethiopia, and the wider diaspora, left an indelible mark on international human rights, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding.

A professor of unyielding principle, he dedicated his life not only to academic excellence but to the practical betterment of humanity—refusing to withhold his talents for personal gain, but instead investing them entirely in the service of others.

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A Life of Global Impact

Dr. Hamdeessaa’s legacy is rooted in his commitment to justice, human rights, reconciliation, and peace. His work resonated deeply within Africa and across Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and global academic circles. Many diaspora communities today credit his initiatives for creating pathways to education, advocacy, and empowerment.

He frequently addressed international bodies, including the U.S. Congress, the U.S. State Department, and numerous NGOs, speaking boldly on behalf of marginalized peoples, particularly in the Horn of Africa.

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Roots and Rise: An Educator at Heart

Dr. Hamdeessaa began his schooling at Kuyyeera Adventist School in his hometown, completing his primary education there. After graduating high school in the late 1950s, he became a teacher in rural Oromia, where he campaigned tirelessly to establish schools and bring basic education to underserved communities.

His excellence in teaching was recognized in 1969 when he received a scholarship for missionary training in Gimbi—a testament to his reputation as a gifted educator.

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Academic Journey: From Arsi to America

In 1972, he earned his first degree from Avondale College in Australia, followed by a Master’s from Andrews University in the United States. He continued his studies at Andrews, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1981.

For over four decades, Dr. Hamdeessaa taught at prominent universities across North America, shaping generations of students while maintaining a steadfast focus on justice and Africa’s development.

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Peacebuilder and Diplomatic Voice

In the 1980s, he was deployed to Sudan as part of an independent research mission aimed at fostering peace in the region.

Following the fall of the Mengistu regime, he participated in the 1991 London Conference on Ethiopia, where he advocated for reconciliation and sustainable peace.

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Return Home in Spirit

Dr. Hamdeessaa passed away on December 22, 2025, in Winnipeg, Canada, where he had lived for many years. His remains will be returned to his birthplace in Arsi Nagellee, Oromia, where a funeral ceremony will be held in accordance with Oromo tradition.

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He leaves behind a legacy not merely of academic accomplishment, but of tangible humanity—a life lived entirely in the service of others.

Rest in power, Professor Hamdeessaa Tusoo. Your light continues in every life you touched.

Malkaa Soor, Oromia, December 7, 2025 — The vibrant festival of Irreechaa has commenced at Malkaa Soor, bringing together the community in a celebration of thanksgiving and renewal. Abbaa Gadaa (Gadaa leaders), Siinqee women, Qeerroo youth, Qarree elders, and residents from Mattu town and surrounding districts have begun their procession toward the ritual site.

Participants, adorned in traditional white (duudhaa) attire, emphasized the importance of the morning ceremony. “We are passing our heritage and culture on to the next generation,” one celebrant stated.

A Festival of Unique Timing and Profound Meaning
Like other Irreechaa celebrations across Oromia, the Malkaa Soor festival marks the end of the rainy season and the welcoming of the sunny, blooming Birraa (spring). What sets this celebration apart is its timing: while many zones observe Irreechaa earlier in the month of Fulbaanaa (September), Malkaa Soor’s festival is held toward the month’s end of November or beginning of December, a schedule traditionally adapted to local climatic conditions.

The core objectives of the celebration are twofold: to give thanks to Waaqa (God) and to pray for prosperity.

Thanksgiving to Waaqa is expressed through prayers such as: “Oh Waaqa, you heard our prayers, delivered us from hardship, made our crops flourish, and granted us peaceful times. For this, we give you thanks.”

Prayers for Prosperity include appeals for bounty and peace: “May you make us share abundant harvests with people and birds alike. May you make this a year of overflowing peace. May you fulfill our thoughts and hopes.”

A Celebration Reclaimed and Revived
Elders recount that, due to pressure from successive regimes, the Irreechaa festival at Malkaa Soor was suppressed for many years. Its revival began in the year 2000, and it has been observed annually ever since.

The festival gained further significance following the restoration of the Iluu Gadaa system in 2007. In 2008, Malkaa Soor hosted the first annual celebration of the restored Iluu Gadaa, attended by high-ranking officials in a grand and majestic ceremony, cementing its place on the annual cultural calendar.

Rituals and Blessings: The Heart of the Celebration
The rituals are rich with symbolism. Holding aloft fresh grasses (marga jiidhaa) and spring flowers (abaaboo birraa), celebrants proceed to the riverbank, singing praises:

“Ilil, yaa Mareewoo, Mareewoo…
May the outdoors favor us, oh ancestors…
Grant us forgiveness, oh ancestors…”

Following the main ritual, the Abbaa Gadaa and Siinqee women lead the community in profound blessings:

“Oh Waaqa, you who brought us with this spring, bring us also with the one to come.”
“Oh Waaqa, as you have grown and sustained the Odaa tree, so grow and sustain the Oromo people.”
“Oh Waaqa, we stand under the shade of the Odaa tree to pray to you; may your shade shelter us.”
“Oh Waaqa, as you have lengthened the life of this tree, so lengthen our lives.”

The festival at Malkaa Soor stands as a powerful testament to cultural resilience, spiritual devotion, and the unbroken bond between the Oromo people, their ancestors, and the natural world.

Jaal Ibrahim Saddiq was born in Giba Ashamboo, Kober District, Begi Zone, in West Oromia. He began his education in his local area and continued his studies until the Derg regime’s widespread arrests disrupted the lives of countless people across Oromia.

Like many regions in Oromia, his homeland suffered profoundly under the Derg’s final, brutal campaigns of violence and mass killings. Facing such oppression, Jaal Ibrahim made the pivotal decision to join the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in 1986 through the Dirree Dhihaa route. He diligently completed all necessary training and faithfully carried out every duty and mission assigned to him, consistently fulfilling his role with distinction.

Following the adoption of the OLF Charter in 1991, he undertook crucial organizational missions within the country. Later, due to intensified surveillance by the incumbent regime and pressure from the then-powerful Sudanese government on the OLF, he was compelled to seek asylum abroad after the organization’s military and political offices were attacked and closed in 1998.

Jaal Ibrahim found asylum and settled in New Zealand in 1999. Upon his arrival, he rejoined the OLF chapter and actively took on the responsibilities and tasks given by the organization. For many years, he served the OLF in various capacities, including as Secretary of the New Zealand Branch Organizing Committee and later as the elected President of the OLF New Zealand Branch. He also provided steadfast material and moral support for the Oromo people’s struggle.

A father of four, Jaal Ibrahim passed away on December 4, 2025, after a period of illness. May his soul rest in eternal peace. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers for strength to his family, relatives, and all his friends.

A fighter may fall, but the struggle continues!

December 4, 2025

Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Foreign Affairs Structure

The PP-OPDO system is a predatory regime, an enemy of humanity, a genuine adversary, and a destroyer of the Oromo people. It has trained, armed, and deployed individuals devoid of conscience—people liberated from all morality—to eradicate the Oromo and bury them in their own land.

Victim: Obbo Bulchaa Raggaasaa, father of Jaal Ayyaantuu Bulchaa. He was a 70-year-old elder.

Summary of the Atrocity: Today, on December 5, 2025, in a mass execution, PP government forces killed five people, including the elder Bulchaa, in Maaruu village, Gullisoo district, West Welega zone, Western Oromia. This was a targeted attack on unarmed civilians.

The Massacre:
On this day, December 5, 2025, between approximately 5:00 AM and 11:00 AM local time, PP troops forcibly removed five individuals from neighboring households. They were taken to the #Suchii River and executed en masse at a single site.

The Victims:

1. Bulchaa Raggaasaa Reebuu, 70-year-old elder (Father of Jaal Ayyaantuu), from Maaruu village.
2. Mazgabuu Abshaalee Raggaasaa, 20-year-old youth (Son of Wasiila Ayyaantuu), from Maaruu village.
3. Fiqiruu Yandeessaa (Wasiila Ayyaantuu).
4. Hambaa Raggaasaa, a family head from Kuree village, Ayra district.
5. One additional individual whose name is not yet confirmed.

Background & Context:
Elder Bulchaa had traveled to Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) five months prior for reconciliation talks. He had returned to his home area under a promise of safety.

Today, we have received the horrific account that this respected elder—a man of wisdom and dignity—was taken from his home along with other families and slaughtered like an animal.

The Broader Reality in Oromia:
The overall situation for Oromos across all zones is critically dire and unbearable. The repeated pattern of exterminating entire families, particularly those of activists, has become a grim and recurring phenomenon.

A Call for Justice and Strength:
May the Creator grant eternal peace to those brutally murdered. May He grant patience and resilience to their grieving families and communities.

Obbo Bulchaa Raggaasaa Reebuu, the 70-year-old elder murdered by the PP today. This same regime killed eight members of his family—his spouse, siblings, children, and grandchildren—back in 2019.

On **December 1, 2021**, a rainy Wednesday, the respected elder (Abbaa Gadaa) Michillee from Dullachaa had performed his morning prayers. After sharing coffee with neighbors, blessing each other and their country, he tended to his livestock in the pasture and returned home at nightfall to rest.

The livestock later wandered back toward the pasture, and he followed them with a calm heart. The area where he and his neighbors lived was known as a place of peace—a land of Gadaa, free from political strife. They never imagined that government soldiers would come to their peaceful land and bring such devastation. They believed any threat would come from the known direction of Am**ra Fanno, in Qorke and Gorora, who were constantly encroaching on land. The Gadaa community had been vigilant day and night against this known threat.

But the unforeseen struck. A combined force of government militia, the special Oromia force, and federal police arrived at the Gadaa community’s land. They did not just come; they came with clear intent to humiliate. They attempted to insult the Gadaa elder, but an elder of Gadaa, a person of dignity and protocol who embodies the leadership of a nation, cannot be humiliated. She holds her own council and cannot be forced to abandon her principles. If she refuses, she stands her ground.

This force, however, discarded all decency. They insulted the Gadaa elder. In response, the community’s leadership—the *Korma Garaa Hidhee*, Gadaa members, and local elders—gathered. They displayed the Gadaa flag, proclaimed the law of their land, and forbade any disrespect.

The soldiers retorted, “Stop, or we will be forced to act!” As the community members prepared to defend themselves, the elders intervened, declaring, “If conflict erupts here, children and women will not be spared. The blood of our children and women will be spilled on this land. Let what is destined for us happen.”

Hearing this, the community laid down their weapons. The government forces then swept in, looted all household property, and rounded up every man and woman from the area. They were marched about a kilometer away, where the women were separated. The men—including the Abbaa Bokkuu, the *Korma Garaa Hidhee*, the Qaalluu, and Gadaa elders—were specifically taken to a place called *Dhakaa Nyaaqoo*.

There, they were forced face down on the ground, their hands tied behind their backs, and viciously beaten. Others were similarly assaulted, then forced into vehicles and taken away.

A second group, including the Abbaa Bokkuu and the elders, was taken to a place called *Dhakaa Cabbii Aanolee*. Again, they were forced to the ground, hands bound, and subjected to a severe beating. After this torture, as they lay broken, the elder Michillee uttered a final, gasping cry: “Yaabboo! Since you are killing us without cause, if you have weapons, shoot us. Finish us.”

A large convoy of vehicles and commanders was present. Authorities in the East Shewa zone and the local administrators were alerted and informed. None of these officials intervened to stop the massacre; their only role was to authorize it.

Finally, 16 individuals were selected for execution. As the killers prepared their weapons, the condemned Gadaa leaders made a final request: “The hour of our death has come. Give us what you owe us for our blood.” They demanded the *kiisaa* (blood money) owed to them. Their executioners collected money from their own pockets, paid it to the victims, and then carried out the execution.

These Gadaa fathers were taken to a place no person should go and massacred. Their families and nation do not know where they died or where their remains lie. When people later went to retrieve the bodies for burial, soldiers guarding the area attacked them. In the end, when they finally reached the site, their remains were gone—scattered or consumed by wild animals. And so, the elder Michillee and the Gadaa system of Oromoo were extinguished together, plunged into a single, dark abyss.

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In memory of the Gadaa Fathers of Karrayyu – December 1, 2025