London, United Kingdom — In the annals of human rights advocacy, few figures embody the intersection of medicine and justice as profoundly as Dr. Trevor Trueman. A prominent British physician and human rights advocate, Trueman has dedicated decades of his life to documenting and exposing human rights violations against the Oromo people, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, who have historically faced systemic marginalization and repression under various Ethiopian governments.

A Doctor’s Call to Justice

Dr. Trueman’s journey into human rights advocacy began not in the halls of power, but in the examination rooms where he treated survivors of state violence. His medical expertise gave him a unique vantage point — one that allowed him to witness firsthand the physical and psychological trauma inflicted on Oromo refugees who had fled Ethiopia.

In 1994, Trueman co-founded the Oromia Support Group (OSG) , an organization established to amplify the voices of Oromo refugees and victims of state violence. The OSG collects testimonies, publishes reports, and lobbies international bodies to address abuses in Ethiopia. What distinguished the OSG from other advocacy groups was its founder’s medical rigor — a commitment to evidence, accuracy, and the documented truth of human suffering.

Documenting the Unspeakable

Trueman’s most influential contribution came in 1996 with the publication of “Human Rights in Ethiopia: Through the Eyes of the Oromo Refugees.” The report detailed extrajudicial killings, torture, and mass arrests under the EPRDF-led government. His medical expertise lent credibility to accounts of health crises and physical trauma among survivors — accounts that might otherwise have been dismissed as exaggeration or propaganda.

The report became a landmark document, cited by organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It painted a picture of systematic oppression that could not be ignored, precisely because it was grounded in the clinical observations of a physician.

A Voice in the Corridors of Power

Dr. Trueman did not confine his advocacy to written reports. He testified before institutions including the UK Parliament and the United Nations, urging action against Ethiopian government crackdowns. His work highlighted issues such as the 2003-2005 military campaigns in Oromia, which displaced thousands and left communities shattered.

His testimony brought the realities of Oromo suffering into the halls of international decision-making, forcing policymakers to confront uncomfortable truths about an ally government’s abuses.

The OSG’s Enduring Legacy

While Dr. Trueman has been less publicly active in recent years, the Oromia Support Group continues its advocacy under his foundational principles. The group remains a critical resource for journalists, researchers, and policymakers seeking accurate, well-documented information about the situation in Oromia.

The OSG’s reports are frequently cited by major human rights organizations — a testament to the standards of rigor and reliability that Trueman instilled in the organization from its earliest days.

Recognition and Respect

Though not widely decorated, Dr. Trueman’s efforts are deeply respected within human rights circles. His work has been recognized not through formal awards, but through the impact it has had — the lives it has helped document, the stories it has helped tell, and the awareness it has helped raise.

His blend of medical rigor and humanitarian advocacy has uniquely positioned the OSG to expose systemic oppression in Ethiopia. His work underscores the intersection of health and human rights, emphasizing the long-term impacts of state violence on communities.

A Legacy of Truth and Compassion

Dr. Trevor Trueman’s legacy is one of courage and conscience. He chose to use his medical training not only to heal individuals, but to diagnose a society’s ills and prescribe a course of justice. He gave voice to the voiceless, evidence to the ignored, and hope to the oppressed.

For the Oromo people, he is not merely a British physician — he is a friend, an ally, and a witness to their suffering. His work reminds us that human rights are not the concern of any single nation or people, but of all humanity.

As the Oromia Support Group continues its work, the principles Dr. Trueman established — truth, rigor, compassion, and justice — remain its guiding light.

Source: Oromia Support Group

Oromia, Ethiopia — Across the highlands and lowlands of Oromia, and in Oromo communities scattered across the globe, millions gather each year to celebrate Irreechaa — the annual Thanksgiving Day and prayer of the Oromo people. It is a festival of gratitude, renewal, and unity, deeply rooted in the spiritual and cultural life of the Oromo nation.

A Celebration of Gratitude

Irreechaa is celebrated for all things that Waaqaa has done for people — bringing rain, peace, health, fertility, abundance, and the beautiful weather they have obtained. It is a time to pause, reflect, and give thanks for the blessings of the past year.

The festival is not merely a ritual; it is an expression of the Oromo people’s profound connection to the divine and to the natural world. Every drop of rain, every harvest, every moment of peace is recognized as a gift from Waaqaa, and Irreechaa is the community’s collective response of gratitude.

Welcoming the New Season

Moreover, the Oromo people celebrate Irreechaa not only to thank God but also to welcome the new season of plentiful harvests after the dark rainy season. It is a celebration that associates with nature and all creatures — a reminder that humanity is part of a larger web of life, bound to the rhythms of the earth and the skies.

Irreechaa marks the transition from Ganna (the rainy season) to Birraa (the spring) — a time when the land awakens, flowers bloom, and the promise of abundance fills the air. It is a festival of hope, a celebration of renewal, and a welcome to the new year.

Sacred Sites of Ritual

The Irreechaa ritual is conducted at different places; mainly, it takes place in two major areas: Irreechaa Malkaa (at the side of a river) and Irreechaa Tulluu (on a mountain). These two types of Irreechaa are formal and represent the most common sites of ritual among the Oromo people everywhere.

At Irreechaa Malkaa, communities gather at the water’s edge — rivers, lakes, and streams — to dip fresh green grass and flowers into the water, symbolizing purification, renewal, and thanksgiving. The water carries their prayers to Waaqaa, and the grass represents the life and fertility that the community seeks.

At Irreechaa Tulluu, communities ascend mountains and hills to pray and give thanks at higher ground — closer to the heavens, closer to Waaqaa. The mountain symbolizes strength, endurance, and the elevated spirit of a people who have weathered many storms.

Both forms of Irreechaa are sacred, and both are observed with deep reverence, traditional songs, and communal participation.

A Tradition Passed Down Through Generations

Irreechaa has been celebrated by the Oromo for generations. It has survived years of oppression and systemic subjugation, preserved in the hearts of the people and passed down to the present generation. Today, it stands as a testament to the resilience of Oromo culture and the unbreakable spirit of the Oromo nation.

A Festival for All

Irreechaa is not only for the Oromo people. It is a celebration that welcomes all — a festival of peace, unity, and gratitude that transcends boundaries of ethnicity, religion, and geography. The Oromo people, found across the world, are known for celebrating Irreechaa together in a shared and unified manner, and they extend an open invitation to all who wish to join.

A Living Heritage

Irreechaa is more than a festival. It is a living heritage — a bridge between the past and the future, between the human and the divine, between the individual and the community. It is a day of thanksgiving, a day of prayer, and a day of joy.

As the green grass is dipped into the water and the songs rise to the heavens, the Oromo people affirm once again their faith in Waaqaa, their love for their culture, and their hope for the year to come.

Baga Irreechaa! Baga Birraa!

Source: Oromo Cultural Heritage

By Staff Reporter

A prominent Oromo advocacy organization has formally rejected the newly formed “Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival,” accusing the coalition of failing to acknowledge the historical suffering of the Oromo people and of engaging in political opportunism rather than genuine problem-solving.

In a detailed statement released on 21 September 2026, Advocacy for Oromia outlined its objections to the alliance, which was established on 10/2019 E.C. (Ethiopian Calendar) and claims to represent a broad coalition of Ethiopian peoples against the current government.

The Alliance’s Platform

The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival presents itself as a unified front against what it describes as a regime that has institutionalized national and religious divisions. Its stated objectives include removing the current government through “any means necessary,” establishing a transitional government, ensuring security for all citizens, and rebuilding the economy. The alliance explicitly calls for the right to self-determination for seven major national groups: Oromo, Amhara, Tigray, Afar, Somali, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Gambella.

The alliance’s rhetoric is sweeping: “We have reached a point where we must unite to save ourselves and our country,” reads its preamble, which accuses the current regime of fueling conflicts, engaging in widespread human rights violations, and pushing the country to the brink of disaster.

The Oromo Rejection

Advocacy for Oromia, however, sees the alliance as fundamentally flawed. In its statement, the organization argues that the coalition’s generic language about “immense suffering” and “widespread displacement” deliberately avoids naming the Oromo people as specific victims of systemic oppression.

“The harm includes, but is not limited to, land dispossession, political marginalization, cultural suppression, and economic exploitation under successive Ethiopian regimes—the imperial era, the Derg regime, the EPRDF administration, and continuing under the current government,” the statement reads. “This omission is not accidental; it reflects a deliberate refusal to centre Oromo historical trauma within the alliance’s political framework.”

The advocacy group further accuses the alliance of refusing to accept the reality of systemic oppression inflicted upon the Oromo people by past regimes. Rather than demanding accountability for historical wrongs, the alliance frames the current crisis as a departure from an otherwise acceptable trajectory—a framing that Advocacy for Oromia rejects outright.

A Question of Strategy

At the heart of the dispute lies a fundamental strategic disagreement within Ethiopian opposition politics: whether to prioritize unity against a common enemy or to insist upon historical justice as a precondition for any alliance.

The alliance positions itself as a broad-based coalition, calling for unity among Ethiopia’s diverse national groups to confront a shared adversary. Its document lists self-determination for multiple peoples and declares that “the unity of the Ethiopian peoples is paramount.”

Advocacy for Oromia, however, argues that without acknowledging past wrongs, any coalition risks reproducing the same structural injustices that have historically subjugated the Oromo people. “Formal recognition of Oromo rights within a reformed Ethiopian state is insufficient,” the statement asserts. “What is required is transformative justice that addresses the structural legacy of Oromo dispossession and abuses.”

The “Survival” Critique

The advocacy group also takes issue with the alliance’s very name. In the original Oromo statement, Advocacy for Oromia notes that the alliance is called “Survival”—a designation the group argues reveals its limited and inadequate scope.

“The alliance is named ‘Survival,’ which reveals its limited and inadequate scope,” the statement reads. “It is not founded to genuinely resolve the country’s problems, but rather to engage in political maneuvering and gamesmanship.”

This critique suggests that the alliance’s focus on mere survival—bare existence—falls far short of the Oromo struggle for liberation, justice, and systemic transformation.

Political Opportunism Alleged

The most serious charge leveled by Advocacy for Oromia is that the alliance is a vehicle for political opportunism. The group points to the alliance’s inclusion of multiple ethnic groups and its call for armed struggle as evidence of a framework that “superficially accommodates Oromo demands while failing to address the fundamental historical injustice against the Oromo people.”

“This framework offers only formal recognition, not substantive transformation,” the statement argues.

Advocacy for Oromia explicitly rejects any pan-Ethiopian initiative that does not subordinate itself to Oromo nationalist priorities, describing the alliance’s refusal to do so as exposing it “as a vehicle for political opportunism rather than a genuine instrument for liberating the Oromo people.”

An Unresolved Contradiction

The advocacy group also highlights what it sees as a contradiction within the alliance’s logic. The alliance’s stated objective is to remove the current regime—which Advocacy for Oromia notes is itself a product of past systems of Oromo oppression.

“If the alliance succeeds in dismantling the current order, does that not constitute a form of accountability?” the statement asks rhetorically. “Removal without acknowledgment and redress is insufficient. True liberation requires not merely a change of personnel but a reckoning with the structural foundations of Oromo subjugation.”

The Broader Context

The rejection of the alliance reflects long-standing tensions within Ethiopian opposition politics. The Oromo people, Ethiopia’s largest national group, have historically experienced marginalization and dispossession under successive regimes. The emergence of Oromo nationalist movements—both peaceful and armed—has challenged the centralized Ethiopian state, demanding greater autonomy, self-determination, and historical justice.

The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival appears to be an attempt to bridge these divides, bringing together diverse national groups under a common banner. But Advocacy for Oromia’s rejection suggests that such efforts will face significant obstacles, particularly when they require subordinating specific historical grievances to a broader, more generic narrative of national suffering.

The Unanswered Question

The statement from Advocacy for Oromia leaves an important question unresolved: can Oromo liberation be achieved through alliance with other Ethiopian peoples, or does it require a separate, Oromo-centred path?

The group clearly leans toward the latter, but does not fully grapple with the strategic costs of that position—including potential isolation, the difficulty of achieving liberation without allies, and the risk of perpetuating the very divisions that have historically weakened Ethiopian opposition movements.

For now, Advocacy for Oromia’s rejection of the alliance stands as a clear statement of its position: any coalition that does not explicitly centre Oromo historical suffering and commit to its redress cannot be trusted.

Advocacy for Oromia formally rejects the “Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival” as an unsuitable vehicle for the liberation and advancement of the Oromo people.