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In theory, the Oromo and Amhara are well-represented by parties in government. But they have never been perceived to have either legitimacy or autonomy.

The government claims 52 people were killed in the Irreecha celebrations, but the opposition puts the figure much higher.

When Shibiru Amana heard gunshots ring out near his home in the town of Mandi on 26 September, he immediately rushed outside where he saw people clamouring for safety and kids running for their lives. Across the commotion, he later told VOA Afaan Oromo, Amana spotted a young boy lying lifeless on the ground. He mustered up the courage and took a few steps towards him. It was his younger brother Lidata.

Lidata, who was just 15 years old, had been shot in the torso. His transgression had been shouting a few anti-government slogans at a gathering on the eve of the Meskel holiday.

A week later, enormous numbers of people from all corners of the Oromia region descended on the town of Bishoftu to celebrate Irreechaa, an annual Oromo thanksgiving festival. When some began to protest, security officers responded by firing tear gas and live ammunition, according to witnesses and videos that later emerged on social media.

The crowed was packed between a lake and treacherous terrain, and in the panic that ensued, many died. The government reported that 52 died. Human rights groups say several hundreds were killed. Meanwhile, the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) put the death toll at a huge 678.

The ongoing wave of protests in Ethiopia was initially triggered in November 2015 by a development plan that would have expanded the capital Addis Ababa into neighbouring Oromia towns. This plan was eventually suspended, but the protests amongst the Oromo people continued and have since spread to over 200 towns and been joined by Amhara demonstrators too. The government has often responded by sending in security forces that have engaged in deadly violence, leading to the deaths of over 600 people, according to rights groups, and over 1,000, according to activists.

[Ethiopia’s unprecedented nationwide Oromo protests: who, what, why?]

While some of these killings in Oromia have been carried out by regional police, it is notable that much of the security response has been conducted by the federal police and army. As Amana explained, “I wanted to ask the police officers why they killed my brother but they speak a different language”.

Under Ethiopia’s system of ethnic federalism – comprising of nine states and two chartered cities – significant powers are devolved to regional authorities, including the right to establish a state police force and maintain public order within the region. The federal army is only permitted to intervene at the request of the Oromia regional government.

However, the reality is that much of this devolved autonomy only exists in theory, and the fact that federal forces have been deployed reportedly without the express request of the Oromia government speaks to its lack of sovereignty.

Indeed, for the last 25 years, politics has been controlled by the four-party ruling coalition known as the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). This alliance includes the Oromo People’s Democratic Organisation (OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), and the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM). But its lead partner is the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

This latter party’s base represents just 6% of Ethiopia’s 100 million population, but TPLF elites have long dominated the country’s political and economic spheres and kept a hold on key posts such as defence, intelligence and foreign affairs.

It is partly anger at these inequalities that is driving protests in Oromia and Amhara. The government has largely denounced these demonstrators and used force, but it also recently announced it would evaluate the performance of its regional parties and engage in the necessary reforms of them to address the people’s concerns.

“Deep reform”?

In 2001, the year Lidata was born, the Ethiopian government also faced the need for an internal upheaval. A struggle for power within the TPLF had just concluded and the faction led by then Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had come out on top. A major purge of his opponents in government soon followed.

OPDO’s leaders had been indecisive in declaring their loyalties during the factional fight and were largely sidelined. Negasso Gidada, former president of Ethiopia and chair of the OPDO, was suspended along with other senior leaders. Meanwhile, Kuma Demeksa, an OPDO central committee member and president of the Oromia region, was removed and later replaced by Juneydi Saaddo, a new technocrat on the block.

In times of crisis and internal party strife such as these, there was nothing Meles enjoyed more than conducting a highly charged meeting (‘gimgema’) in which participants engaged in criticism and self-criticism. Those from the OPDO reportedly engaged in a frantic admission of guilt.

15 years on from this – and four years since Meles’ death in 2012 – today’s widespread protests have forced senior leaders in the TPLF and EPRDF to resurrect their ideologue’s penchant for reform. These recent changes have been spoken about under the banner ofTilq Tehadiso, which is Amharic for “deep reform”, and are supposed to “tackle rent-seeking” and “root out nepotism”. But the reality is that the exercise has been, at best, a cosmetic reshuffle.

At worst, it has been used to usher in an even more confrontational approach to the protests. In its September 2016 party congress, for instance, the OPDO replaced its chair and vice-chair with Lemma Megersa, a former Security Chief for the region, and Workneh Gebeyehu, a former Director-General of the Federal Police Commission. This shift is widely believed to have been choreographed by the TPLF, and the combined intelligence and law enforcement expertise of the two new leaders will be of immediate value to the government. According to Jawar Mohammed, a US-based Oromo political activist, the move is an attempt to “further militarize the administration in Oromia”.

Indeed, early evidence suggests the new leadership is taking a more ruthless approach. Weeks after the change of guard, crackdowns have intensified in parts of Oromia, leading scores if not hundreds such as Lidata to lose their lives. “That’s the closest I have ever been to a war,” Bayesa Abera, who has attended every Irreechaa celebration for the past 10 years, said of events earlier this week. “I am lucky to be alive today.”

Neither the cause nor the solution

The OPDO is not the only Oromo political party in Ethiopia, but thanks to the TPLF, it has developed a sense of near invincibility over its competitors in the region since the 1990s.

According to insiders, the TPLF masterminded the very creation of the OPDO in 1989 in order to pit them against the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), a group with which its relations were deteriorating. The TPLF struggled to encourage the formation of this new OPDO party, however, and reportedly had to call upon on Oromo-speaking prisoners of war to make up its members. From its early days, OPDO officials were widely referred to disparagingly as ‘maxxanne’, Oromo for freeloader.

In 1992, the now banned OLF, a more potent symbol of Oromo nationalism, finally withdrew from the transitional government in acrimonious circumstances, and since then, the TPLF has ensured that its OPDO ally has completely dominated in the region. As a Human Rights Watch report from 2005 noted, “From top to bottom, the OPDO has had a near-total monopoly on political power in Oromia since 1992”.

Two Oromo opposition parties – the Oromo National Congress (ONC) and Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) – did manage to enter the political fray when they won seats in the 2005 elections. But they were constantly undermined to prevent them from mounting a real challenge to the OPDO’s supremacy. This strategy of restricting political space to opposition parties culminated in the 2015 elections in which the OPDO officially won all 537 seats in the regional state council and all 178 seats allocated to the region in the federal parliament.

The OPDO’s loyalties have thus always been with the TPLF, and when men and women across Oromia have been gunned down, no OPDO official has had the courage to condemn excessive use of force. Juneydi Saaddo, a former ODPO cabinet minister who is now in exile, explained recently in an interview that those in government fear reprisals if they speak out against TPLF dominance, and confessed that the OPDO has never been able to shake off its subservient status.

For the protesters in Oromia therefore, the OPDO possesses neither legitimacy nor autonomy, and any reshuffle of its leadership is considered as inconsequential as the party itself. The overwhelming belief is that its leaders are handpicked by the TPLF puppet-masters, and the new generation of Oromo youth – known as the ‘Qeerroo’ – have seen that it is business as usual after the latest reform. As Jawar Mohammedargued following the change of guard, “the OPDO is neither the cause nor the solution for the political crisis”.

Over the past year, Oromo protesters have been calling for genuine representation in government, an end to the dominance of a single ethnic group, respect for democratic and human rights, an end to indiscriminate killings and repression, and the cessation of marginalisation and evictions of Oromo from their ancestral lands. These are issues that far exceed the powers of the OPDO.

A Luta Continua

Over the past few months, the Amhara have joined the protests and there have been shows of unprecedented solidarity with the Oromo, united in their shared grievances. This is a significant development. Together, these two ethnic groups make up more than two-thirds of Ethiopia’s population, and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s most urgent and perhaps toughest job now is to halt or reverse this growing trend.

Former strongman Meles Zenawi long managed to avoid this situation by stoking historical antagonisms in order to create perpetual mistrust between the two groups. He effectively drilled this trick into his disciples too, including current Communications Minister Getachew Reda, who in a recent interview, bluntly admitted that “the alliance between the two…is clear evidence that the government has failed to do its job”.

But Prime Minister Hailemariam, a former technocrat hailing from Ethiopia’s southern region, has proven less politically cunning than his predecessor. His attempts at employing the old divisive tactics, even mimicking Meles’ language and gestures at times, have failed as solidarity between the Amhara and Oromo has grown both within Ethiopia and in the diaspora. When the state TV recently unearthed and aired old footage of Meles expounding on the “narrow nationalism” and “chauvinism” of the two groups, it highlighted Hailemariam’s comparative lack of skill in delivering effective propaganda.

From Hailemariam’s first day in office, it has been clear that the TPLF still calls the shots. In fact, it is believed that his very survival strategy is to play second fiddle to gain approval from the TPLF hierarchy. But if protests continue, he could end up as a sacrificial lamb.

However, one thing the PM may take encouragement from is the fact that despite the turmoil facing the country, support from key Western allies hasn’t wavered. The US government in particular has shown little interest beyond penning half-heartedstatements of concern, reluctant to criticise a partner it sees as a force for stability in a volatile region and a major ally in its War on Terror.

In this configuration, the Ethiopian government has barely had to project even the semblance of democracy for Western diplomats to continue singing its praises. For instance, when US President Barack Obama paid a visit to the country in July 2015 – just two months after the ruling party and its allies won 100% of seats in parliament amidst accusations of intimidation and fraud – he described the government as “democratically elected”. The killing of hundreds of protesters since then has done little to shift this position.

The events of the last 11 months – and the responses from the Ethiopian government and its allies – have shown that Ethiopia’s protesters must take it upon themselves to define their destiny and bring an end to their peripheral role. Indeed, this seems to be the position that demonstrators in both Oromia and Amhara have willingly adopted, aware that as the two largest ethnic groups in the region, the success of their struggle lies in their ability to galvanise the public to rally and create links of solidarity with others who share their grievances. External actors can facilitate, but not replace, this process.

But this struggle goes on. At the funeral of Lidata, just one of many who have lost their lives at the hands of security forces, friends and family said their eulogies to celebrate his life and grieved that it had been so tragically cut short. A whole community gave him the send-off that he deserved, with mourners chanting pro-freedom slogans, of which one particularly stood out. Qabsoon itti fufa, or Oromo for “A Luta Continua”.

Michael C. Mammo is studying for his PhD at the University of Birmingham. He is a former Ethiopia correspondent for Inter Press Service and Spanish News Agency (EFE). He tweets at @mcmammo.

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                         There is hiden agenda for EPDRF and Eritrean

The hidden agenda was to become operational when the TPLF ostensibly called upon Ethiopian progressive forces in the so-called Addis Ababa Charter in 1991, where Isaais was also present. Isaais’ presence in the conference was not merely symbolic or a sign of solidarity; it was in fact meant to help and encourage Meles and the TPLF stay the course in Addis Ababa, because both of them were not sure whether the Ethiopian people would accept or reject the TPLF.

The Ethiopian people did not embrace the TPLF/EPRDF, but when the latter’s forces marched on Addis Ababa the people did not show resistance either. Still, Meles and Isaais were not confident; the Eritrean case was taken for granted because Isaais knew well that Eritreans love and support him and on top of this Isaais had witnessed the euphoria of the people that had gripped his country for so long. For some unknown reason, Eritreans (excluding the opposition) love Isaais even when he mistreats and abuse them, and the gathering of Eritreans at the Manhattan Center in New York on September 25, 2011 to show their affection and love to Isaais is good enough to conclude that Issais is idolized by his people. 

In Ethiopia, on the contrary, the people were silent and the two leaders likened the silence to a dormant volcano. They were concerned that the Ethiopian people could rise up anytime and topple the EPRDF regime. In the event the Ethiopian people revolted and the TPLF/EPRDF is unable to rule over Ethiopia, the two leaders agreed to establish a Tigray-Eritrea state at the expense of dismantling Ethiopia. This did not happen, of course, but the agenda is still considered as an option by Meles and Isaais.

The other grand agenda that the two leaders concocted was that Meles preside over a weak Ethiopia without outlet to the sea and Isaais systematically turn Eritrea into a failed state. In other words, Eritrea was to commit infanticide while a divided Ethiopia breaks down into several states. Today, although Eritrea is not like Somalia, it is on the brink of a failed state; Ethiopia has not broken yet but given the ‘divide and rule’ policy of the EPRDF and the fragility of the Horn of Africa, the country may face the same fate of a failed state as well. To some extent, the joint agenda worked in Ethiopia and to a greater extent it became a reality in Eritrea.

The reason I say “to some extent” in relation to Meles’ agenda in Ethiopia is not because he did not try his best to dismantle Ethiopia but because he met strong challenges within his party, the TPLF, and other opposition parties in Ethiopia. Meles and the EPRDF allowed “elections” in Ethiopia (hypocrisy of the highest degree) because the people terrified them. In Eritrea, such scenario does not exit; Eritreans seem to be satisfied with the way Isaais governs Eritrea. Every time Meles imprison political opponents (like Seeye Abraha or Birtukan Medeksa), the Ethiopian people opposed the government and demanded the release of the prisoners. When Isaais imprisoned Petros Solomon, Mohammed Sherifo, and Haile W. Tensae (Durủ), Eritreans were silent. That is why Seeye and Birtukan are now freed and but Petros, Durủ, and others are languishing in prison in unknown location in Eritrea. 

In all the intricate and messy politics that we have seen above, Meles and Isaais are not alone. They were accompanied from day one by patron cupids (messengers of the patron saint) who serve as consultants, ministers, government bureaucrats, university professors, and in some cases as preachers in churches and mosques alike (same like the missioners who came to Africa before the Europeans colonized it).

The patron cupids are recruited from all over, irrespective of nationality and religious backgrounds. Some of them work closely with Meles and Isaais and they are their official advisors the rest of the cupids have acted as if they are in the opposition in order to hoodwink the real opposition. They are dangerous because they speak the language of the people and they were assigned to infiltrate the opposition at home and in the Diaspora, and that is why the Ethiopian and Eritrean opposition groups in the Diaspora were unable to secure unified and strong political organizations in the last two decades. 

In conclusion, this article is to reconfirm that the Meles-Isaais covenant is still on, although it could be in its diminished state. The objective of the covenant was sometime tarnished as a result of the Ethiopian-Eritrean war of 1998, when Ethiopia came out victorious in the war. Then, Meles and Isaais were caught by surprise because the Ethiopian people rose in unity to defend their country. But the covenant is still on and the symptoms are the following: Isaais’ Eritrea is trying its best to reestablish relations with neighboring countries; reenter the Inter-Governmental Agency for Development (IGAD) of the Horn of Africa regional development cooperation; reenter the African Union (AU) and reestablish its embassy in Addis Ababa. Moreover, Italy has recently brokered “a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea,” and based on this pretext Meles and Issais are scheduled to meet in person. We will not be surprised if the two leaders pause for a photo opportunity. They have accomplished their mission, but they may face the rage of the people in the end and they may be forced to reprogram their amygdale of fight or flight.

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TPLF-agazi truck-Irreecha Massacre of Oromo Civilians (comparable act of France-Nice ISIS terror attack) People asks OPDO where are you?????

Dr.Baro Keno Deressa

The colonial ruling system in Ethiopian empire brought misery to all nations ( Oromo, Ogaden, sidama, gambella, benishangul, innocent Amhara, innocent Tigre …..etc ). Ones and for all this chronical cancer (colonial rule) is going to get lasting curative surgey by gallant sons and daughters of Oromo people and other nations. To achieve this goal radical resection of the system with his tentacles (like OPDO) is essential in order to bring real freedom, justice and peace

In case of malignancy,the goal of curative surgery is to remove the entire tumour with no residual disease (oncological R0 resection), which requires extensive resection of the surrounding tissues. Even if lymph nodes are histologically free of disease, molecular biological techniques reveal infiltration with cancer cells in 50% of cases.

The goal of palliative resection is to improve the quality of life, relieve pain and preventing obstruction without treating the origine of the disease

Oromo people are political human while our colonizers were/are political animal. The evidence of this fact is the way of life that Oromo peoples exercise. Oromo people political humanity originate from their root which Oromummaa stands for: Society is composed of many different, often competing interests, the basic, seemingly inescapable cleavage between the few who are rich and the many who are poor is potentially the most dangerous social division of all and the underlying cause of much civil unrest. The key to preserving any political community, therefore, is to strike a balance between the members. To this end, the law must be “sovereign” and must serve as an impartial arbiter — “reason unaffected by desire.” Moreover, there must be moral equality before the law. The law cannot be used as a tool to favor the rich and powerful but must be an instrument for achieving social justice, which he defined as “giving every man his due.”Our colonizers have never had moral value and respect rule of law.

Oromo peoples colonizers in general and the current one (TPLF junta) are guided by their prodigious appetites instead of using higher level dictating power like brain and other values (sorry they don’t have brain, only gun). There is a double-edge to the human psyche. Our “lower-level” appetites and urges manifestly serve our needs, but they can also become destructive, both to the community and to ourselves. Our prodigious appetites must therefore be constrained by the higher-level dictates of “reason”, along with our social and ethical impulses, and by the collective actions of the community to protect and preserve itself. How can be a regime like TPLF call itself i am your government while killing children of age 8yr, 13yr, pregnant women and innocent civilians, burning the prisoners alive, smashing the public with a truck and harassing the peoples on the daily basis because of their identity Oromummaa????? The current TPLF junta lacks all factors of humanity (brain to think, moral, social and ethical values).

There is a diversity of talents among men; consequently, one man is best suited to one particular occupation and others to another…We can conclude, then, that production in our country will be more abundant and the products more easily produced and of better quality if each does the work nature (and society) has equipped him to do, at the appropriate time, and is not required to spend time on other occupations. So my advice to TPLF junta leaders: You are failed to lead the nations in Ethiopian empire, you are failed to implement your own constitution, you are failed to build a fair sovereign law unaffected by TPLF desire, Now it is an appropriate time for you to look other job which nature equipped you (maffia style bandit and robbery)

Successive Ethiopian regimes have never displayed humanity or respect for Oromo’s and denied opportunities to build their social, economic, political, cultural and organizational infrastructures. The current Ethiopian regime (TPLF junta) inhuman atrocities reach  uncomfortable degree, defined by the depredations and mass slaughters perpetrated by TPLF junta agazi commando. And thus far there are few indications  that this atrocities will end soon. More often than not, international institutions stand by while political rights are eviscerated and mass killings are committed by regimes desperate to retain power. International law is a patchwork of conventions that deal with issues raised by dictatorships in a piecemeal, ineffective fashion. The Convention Against Torture, for instance, addresses politically motivated degrading treatment and torture, while the Genocide Convention targets the worst abuses a dictator could commit. The International Covenant On Civil and Political Rights delineates a base line of rights that must be protected but offers no clear mechanism by which to vindicate violations.

Our colonizers (TPLF junta) is committing genocide, thousands of Oromo peoples across Oromia are murdered, recent truck Irreecha Massacre is comparable to france Nice terror attack, millions of Oromo’s are languishing in diverse prison center, mass murder is still going on across Oromia and international community are failed to enforce their convention  against criminal regime of TPLF-junta. For more than centuries the Oromo peoples are fighting for justice! equality ! and peace! But still in the 21st century the reaction of our colonizers is worst than ever. My people as i have mentioned many times in my previous articles we have to empower ourselves and redouble our support to our gallant fighters WBO, our golden generation Qeerroo movement and our vanguard organization OLF in order to speak loudly with enemy language.

Eradicating criminal regime like TPLF would make the world safer for all. It would lift the yoke from the necks of millions still laboring under authoritarian and dictatorial rule of TPLF junta. And it would be the clearest vindication of the rights enumerated in the U.N. Charter in 1945.

Victory to the Oromo people!

Dr. B. K. DERESSA, Medical degree in internal medicine, specialized in Gastro-Hepatology diseases. University Hospital of Brussels-Belgium

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Akkuma beekkamu, qabsoon Oromoo bu’aa bahii hammana hin jedhamne keessa darbaa as-gahe. Danqaalee fii roorroo hamtuu wayyaanee fii qaamuma keenya irraa numudataa ture hunda obsaan irra taree otuu jiruu, amma duguuggaa ilmaan Oromoo bishooftutti wayyaaneen raawwatteen obsa wanti jedhamu dhumatee jira. haga amma duraa, ilmaan Oromoo karaa nagaatiin harka qullaa diina dura dhaabatee falmaa turullee, ajjeechaan dhaabachuu waan dideef, akkuma dhaga’aatii fii argaa jirtan, gara tarkaanfii of-irraa ittisuutti tarkaanfatee jira. kanaaf, dhaamsi qeerroon bahaa oromiyaa isiniif qabu kan armaan gadii kana fakkaataa itti dhiyaadhaa!!.
_____Qabsoon Oromoo galma barbaadame kan ga’uu danda’u, gargaarsa ilmaan Oromoo ykn Ethiopianota biyya ambaa jiran/Diaspora qofaan galma ga’uu hin danda’u amantaa jedhu qabna. kanaaf, deeggarsa abbootii qabeenyaa biyya keessaa dabalachuu barbaachisa waan ta’eef, nutiis hubachiisa armaan gadii kana baafne.
Hubachiisa:-
Abbootii qabeenyaa ormiyaa, dirree dhawaa, Finfinnee,akkasumaas naannoolee biyyattii keessa jiraatan maraaf:- 1. Abbootiin qabeenyaa sirnicha kana jalatti cunqurfamaa qabeenya horattan hundi, qabeenya keessan irraa kaffaltii/tax isaanii fii hojjattoonni keessan sirna cunqursaa kanaaf kaffalaa jirtaniin wayyaaneen humnooytee duguuggaa dhala namaa irratti raawwachaa jirti. kanaaf har’aa jalqabee deeggarsi keessan karaa danda’ameen qabsoo biyya keessaa deemaa jiru bira dhaabachuu qaba. Hanga arraa qeerroon, qabeenya keessan tiksaa jira malee, wayyaaneen galaaf kaate, akka isin saamu ifatti beekna. dabalees qeerroon hamma murtii kana irra ga’utti, yaadota adda addaa irratti mari’achaa ture. innis:- 1. Abbootiin qabeenyaa meeshaa ittisaa dirqama akka nuuf bittu. 2. Karaa danda’ameen namoota erginee deeggarsa gaafanna. 3. Warri abdii isaan irraa hin qabnuu, tarkaanfii jedhanis inuma jiru.
Haata’uu, murteen dhumaa nuti irra geenye, 1. Abbootiin qabeenyaa biyya keessaa hundi, karaa danda’ameen yeroo nuti deeggarsa gaafannetti haanubira dhaabatan kan jedhu. 2. Kaffaltii diinaaf kaffalan akka dhaaban. 3. Kun didamnaan diina nurratti gargaaru waan ta’eef nurratti dalagachuu akka hin dandeenye beekuu qaban kan jedhu. kanaaf, waliin taanee diina of-irraa qaarsina! Wayyaaneen konkolaataa ishee lakkoofsa gabatee dhufaa godhattee, qabeenya nama dhunfaa guban jettee abbaa itti uumaa jirti. mana diina ilmaan Oromoo dhiiga dhugaa jiru yeroo qeerroon barbadeessite, diina biroo bakka buustee kunoo akkanatti qabeenyaa kiyya naduraa guban jechisiisaa karaa media ishee hafarsaa jirti. kanaafuu ,Abbootiin qabeenyaa keenya rakkoo walxaxaa wayyaaneen qopheessite kan giddutti akka hin qocolamne isiniin jenna. Abbootiin qabeenyaa warra Somali tokko tokko wayyaanee waliin nutti tumsuu jalqabanii jiran. isaan kanaas warri walitti dhufeenya qabdan akka nuuf akeekkachiistan isiniin jenna!!. Galatoomaa! injifannoon ummata ormoof yeroo jennu, gargaarsa waaqaatiin!!!. By Haqa Mullate

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Foreigners Shutting Down their Businesses in Ethiopia

By AFP,

Anti-government protesters in Ethiopia have turned their anger on foreigners, torching tourist resorts and foreign-owned factories in the restive Oromia region, local media reported Friday.

At least 11 companies, including textile and plastic factories, were torched in recent days in the town of Sebeta as well as about 60 vehicles, according to Fana, a state-controlled broadcaster, which blamed “anti-peace forces” for the attacks.

The Bishangari Lodge on the shores of Lake Langano south of the capital Addis Ababa, one of the main tourist destinations in Oromia, was among the premises set alight.

“The lodge is completely destroyed. 100 percent burnt down,” said a hotel employee who did not want to be named.

A Dutch fruit farm, AfricaJuice, was also ransacked this week in the south-eastern Awash Valley.

Oromo protesters blame foreign investors for occupying land appropriated from them by the government and said they have had enough.

“The people have been protesting peacefully for almost a year. They didn’t find any solutions from the government until now, but rather the killing has continued as we have seen at Ireecha festival,” said Barnabas, a protester in the town of Holeta who gave only his first name.

“This makes the people furious.”

The latest violence follows the deaths of more than 50 people in a stampede triggered by police firing tear gas at the Ireecha religious festival in Bishoftu, a town in Oromia, last Saturday.

On Tuesday, a US citizen was killed close to Addis Ababa when a rock thrown by protesters hit the vehicle she was travelling in. She was identified as plant biology researcher Sharon Gray, in a statement from California’s UC Davis University.

The UN on Friday called for an independent investigation into the violence, as government faces its most serious unrest since coming to power in 1991.

Such a probe was needed “to ensure accountability for this and several other incidents since last November involving protests that have ended violently,” Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations human rights agency, told reporters in Geneva.

Companies took our land

Protests began in Oromia in November and have since expanded to Amhara with human rights groups claiming several hundred killed so far in a crackdown on demonstrations.

Together, Oromos and Amharas make up 60 percent of the population of Ethiopia.

The protesters accuse the country’s leaders, who largely hail from the northern Tigray region, of monopolising power.

“The businesses are targeted because these are the companies that took the land from the farmers without giving enough compensation,” said Barnabas, who also complained that few locals get jobs at the foreign-owned companies.

“We are not getting benefits from them,” he said.

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia –  The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency effective immediately following a week of anti-government violence that resulted in deaths and property damage across the country, especially in the restive Oromia region.

The state Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation announced the state of emergency Sunday morning.

It said the Council of Ministers declared the state of emergency in a message delivered to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

Major towns and cities across the Oromia region are experiencing unrest and widespread violent protests after dozens died on October 2 in a stampede triggered when police fired teargas and bullets to disperse protestors at the annual Irrecha thanksgiving celebration in Bishoftu.

The state broadcaster said details of the state of emergency will be communicated to the public later Sunday.

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Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has informed the nation this afternoon, October 9, 2016, a decree by his cabinet to impose a state of emergency effective yesterday and remains in effect for six months.

“It may be shortened depending on the improvement on the security front,” a senior government official told Fortune.

The Council of Ministers, in its emergency meeting called on Saturday afternoon, has invoked a rare provision in the constitution, Article 93, in response to the growing civil unrest across the country, particularly in the Oromia Regional State. The unrest, growing to be violent and increasingly involving lootings, has expanded to the Southern Regional State, beginning late last week.

The Council has effectively put the nation under marshal law, a decree made for the first time in 25 years of the EPRDF rule. Marshal law is a rare and extreme measure governments are compelled to take under times of war and civil unrest. It is military personnel who take the authority to enforce civil and criminal laws, while curtailing civil liberties such as the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, freedom of assembly and movement.

Ethiopia’s Constitution allows the Prime Minister to declare state of emergency for up to six months, but needs to present the decree to parliament in two weeks if it is not in session. Prime Minister Hailemariam is expected to table his declaration to Parliament in 10 days, according to sources in the government.

However, details of the scope, place and time of the state of emergency declared yesterday is in the making, official sources disclosed. It may not incorporate curfew at least in large parts of the country where there is no immediate concern on security, unnamed officials confirmed to Fortune.

The Prime Minister, addressing the nation on Sunday afternoon, on the marshal law, has pledged to respect fundamental human rights and diplomatic privileges covered under the ViennaConvention. The Constitution obliges the government to disclose, through the public media, the number of individual the state puts under custody every month.

In the meantime, the capital Addis Abeba remains calm today, although there is a drastically dropped movement of people and vehicles. However, weddings are taking place unaffected as planned earlier. Many residents are anxiously anticipating for details to surface tonight.

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Ummanni keenya akkuma arman duraa labsa diinaa kana tokkummaa, murannoofi tooftaadhaan ofirraa qolachuu qaba.

1) Diina humnaan isin caalu kallattiin dura hin dhaabbatinaa. Daguudhaan haleelaa.

2) Tarkaanfii maddeen diinaggee sirnichaa irratti fudhatamu bifa of eeggannoo qabuun jabaatee bladhinaan itti fufuu qaba

3) Tarkaanfiiin dhaabbilee sirna cunquraa ( waajjira bulchiinsaa, poolisii, manneen hidhaa kkf) irratti fudhatamu cimee itti fufuu qaba. Dhuma torban kanaatti qabaleen takka Oromiyaa keessatti dhaabattee hafuu hin qabdu

4) Dhaabbileen fayyaa, bishaanii, kkf ummataaf barbaachisaa waan ta’aniif tuqamuu hin qaban. Eeggamuu qaban.

5) Sabaafi sablammiin Oromiyaa keessa jiru lammii keenya. Tuqamuu hin qabu. Manneen amantii gaaddisa tokkummaa keenyaati. Nageenyi isaanii kashlabbeefi diinaa irraa tiikfamuu qabu.

6) Lammiileen biyya alaa Oromiyaa jiran keessummoota kabajaati. Nageenyi isaani barbaachisaadha. Tuqamuu hin qaban. Eeeggamuu qaban.

7) Hoggansa Oromo mana hidhaafi caasaa sirnichaa keessa jiru yoo ajjeesan tarkaanfiin hadooddii hin qabne fudhatamuu qaban. Kan warri gootan waan gootan beektu.

The post #OromoRevolution: LABSA Akkuma dhageessanii jirtan Wayyaaneen duula sanyii Oromoo duguuguu ji’oota 11f itti jirtu har’a ifaan ifatti labsitee jirti. appeared first on Bilisummaa.

Gariin namaa ilaalchaafi yaada akkam akka guduunfatee deemu yoon hubadhu na gaddisiisaas, yeroo gariis immoo na aarsa. Dhugatti nama tulluu guddoo mul’attu qeeydii hanga shanachaatiin haguuguuf yaalu tokko yoo agartan maal jettaniin isin?

Ani gama kiyyaan osuma akka maraataatti na ajaa’ibsiisuuti, akka gowwaattiis na aarsa. Gowwaan maaliif si aarsa akka naan hin jeennee hadaraa. Naan jettaniis gowwaan waanuma nama aarsu malee waan nama gammachiisu hanga firii xaafii hojjachuu hin beeku waan taheef nama aarsa. Nama aarsuu malee nama araarsuu hin beeku kaa gowwaan. Waa malee gowwaa kana hin balaaleeffadhu bar yaa ambayyoo. Yeroo mara gowwuma keenya kan daafanaa ambaa jala eegee wix-wix godhuutu nu galaafachaa ture waan taheefi. Mata duree barruu kootii kana “Arraas boruus gootoonni warraaqsa qabsoo qeerroo biyya keessaati!” jedhee yoon jalqabu waa hedduun argeefi dhagaye irraa ka’eetiin filadhe. Gariin namaa (kan akka kiyyaa) sodaaf zaraaraa manaa jalaaa fagaatee, abaada qaxxaamuree bakka biraa osoo jiruuti warraaqsa biyya keessaa kana akka waan inni bu’uree, ijaaree, sochoosaafi kabaatiis jiruu of fakkeessuuf dhuundhum torba ol hiixata. Arraba isaa hanga karabaatii of keessaa harkisa. Ani kan jedhu, barana namni hojjaafi dandeettii isaa malee ol harkifachuu maaf jaalataa? Ofii ol hiixachuun mudhii nama kuttiin gurra isaaniirra bahee hin beekuu fakkaata.

Haa tahuuti garuu maali immoo namni ilaalchaaf yaadni miila miilaa maaf baayy’ata bara keenya kana keessa? Kan hojjatu kan biraa,kan ittiin faarfamuufi ittiin mul’achuuf akka re’ee kolkolee jala darbaniitti fiigu kan biraati. Saniifuu osoo namni biyya keessa jiru illeen anaatu itti abbaadhaan batachee naman aarsuu beektaa. Osoo qabsoon eessaa kaatee akka eessatti dhaabbatte illee irraa hin beekne, kan imaamaafi faaga warraaqsaa hin hubanne abbaa qofa tahuu fedhuus meeqa agarre. Maaliif abbaa tahuuf maraatan tan jettu osoo hin tahin dhimmi kiyya osoo ulaagaa abbummaa hin guutin abbaa tahuun akkamitti danda’amaa dha? Gaaffiin tiyya ifa isiniif tahuu isii hin shakku. Gariin namaa waanuma namni qotee, oomishe akka warra nafxanyoota duritti diriirfatee taa’ee nyaachuu fedha. Dhugaa jiru liqimsee waan wal hin fakkaanne walitti erbee waa fakkeessuuf yaaluun kun dur irra amma waan baayy’ate natti fakkaata yeroo garii. Meeshaa fakkaattuu hatanii hojjachuu waan chaayina jalaa baraniis natti fakkaatu. Eegaa! Dhiifama yoon akkana jedhu of irraa hambisee miti. Yookaa immoo komiifi koomaa qofaaf mudhii hidhadhee adafaanyii tahuuf miti. Garuu waan hin hojjatin ittiin if dhaadheessuun qooda silaa waliif kaayuu mallu akka waliif illee hin quuneefi waliif hin keenye nama taasisa. Waan tokko tan namni biraa itti dhiigeefi itti dhukkaa’e ani immoo maqaa itti argachuuf yoon shakaru xiqqo natti ulfaachuu qaba. Kan carraaqu kan biraa kan itti carroomuuf anfariiru kan biraa. Ajaa’ibaa bar dubbiin bara kanaa.

Ani kan na dhibe namni geengoo qabsoo tan ibidda wajiijaa keessa taa’ee wareegama qaalii kafalaa dhiigaaf lubbuun bu’aa galmeessaa jirulleen osoo maqaan hin kaafamne kan halaala fagoo jiru, kan adeemsa qabsootuu irraa hin hubanne akka nama qaphxii gaarii galmeesseetti yoo harka ol qabee maraatu maal jedhama? Maraatuu jedhama edaanuu! Dhiheenya kana immoo qaadhimaan sobaa baayy’achaa dhufuun kun daran nama danfisu bira dabree nama affeela. Hundinuu garuu qaadhimaa isaan hin malle abuurrachuuf yoo wixifatu mul’ata. Gariin immoo akka waan bilisummaan maqaa kiyya qofaan haa dhuftu jedhuu fakkaata. Osoo hin facaafanne asheeta nyaachuuf hawwuun immoo yoo hannaan taate malee hin yaadamu. Maaliree kan osoo firii lafa hin buufne asheeta tuttufachuu qofaaf akkas ilkee qaratu kun maaf baayy’ate? Yoo kan dhugaa walitti himnu tahe immoo warreen daangaa warraaqsaa ala jirru marti dubbuma dhandhaaruu, tarkaanfii wal dhoorkuufi kokkee wal danqaruu qofaaf waan hiriira dhaabbachaa jirru fakkaata dubbiin keenya. Keessattuu warri diyaasfooraa kun wal haqooquu, wal qeequufi wal jeequu malee amma taatu dhiisaa jirra waan biraa. Dhiirtii onnee qaraan kaatee, dhiiga facaasaa qabsoon injifannoo galmeessaa jirti. Nuti immoo gama teenyee akka ruummicha foon irrtti wal nyaatuutti dhiiga isaanii irratti baacna. Namni gariifaan inumaa waan qoosu fakkaata. Nuti osoo qabsoof harka hin laatin sabboonummaafi hayyummaa bilisaan lafaa yoo hammaarannu warri itti capheefi itti baqee bu’aa injifannoo boonsaan qabsoo faayaa jiran immoo qoodallee dhabaa jiraachuutu namatti mul’ata.

Nuti namoonni daangaa warraaqsaa keessaa achi utaallee jirru maqaa nuun hin malle gonfachuuf beexaluun keenya kun anfariirummaa maqaa qofaaf kan sakaraa jirru tahuu ragaa malee nutti mirkaneessa. Yoon kana jedhu xurree imala warraaqsaa keessaa gahee hin qabnu jechuu koo miti. Gaheen nuti qabnuufi bahaa jirru hantuuta tahee osoo jiruu maqaafi gita arba gahu haguugachuuf kaachuutu bal’inaan nurraa calaqisa jechuu kooti. Adeemsi qabsoo qooda malu waliif kaayaa deemuun dirqama taha. Nuti warri biyya keessa hin jirre kun si’eessitootaafi mirqaansitoota taanee fayyaa dayaa jechuun hamilee warraaqsitootaa cimsu, yeroofi bakka barbaachisaa tahetti immoo gaafa hanqinaafi rakkinni diingdeeisaan qunnamu waan dandeenyuun dirmatuufi gorsaaf yaadaan jajjabeessu, hanga waa hubannutti akeeka deemsa qabsoo tilmaamuu irra kan dabre qoodni akka isaanii kan hanga wareegama lubbuu kafalaa jirru hin jiru. Kunillee deeggartuufi tarkaanfachiiftuu qabsoo tahullee qabsaa’oota bakka of buusuuf nun dandeessisu. Eeyyee! Qabsaa’oonni kan dhiiga dhangalaasaa, lafee facaasaafi lubbuu ofii wareegaaf kennaa jiru saniin ala abbaan tokko hin jiru. Miila wal qixxeessanii diriirfataniituma barcuma irra ta’aa saniifuu biyya fagoo jiraachaa bu’aa qabsoon argamu saammachuufi maqaa ittiin cululuqsiifachuuf hamomoochuun kun ani akka kiyyaatti sirrii nattin fakkaatu. Saniifuu maqaa irratti wal xureessaa bu’aa ijoolleen biyya keessatti dhiiga dhagaa raphaa galmeessitu irratti wal nyaachuu feetan. Hundaafuu qeerroo xiiqiin warraaqsaa sossoose kana akka waan ofiif irratti hojjattanii qabsotti seensiftanii fakkeessuu dhiisaa. Qeerroo waliin osoo wal quban qabne qubaaf qeensa taanee hojjachaa jirra jettanii kijibuu dhiisa. Yoo waliin hojjachaa jiraattan immoo hoggaa isaan isin yaammatan eessa jirtan? Ani hangaan beekutti abbaan qabsoo ummata Oromooti. Loltuun qabsoo isaanii immoo qeerroo ilmaan isaaniiti kan isaanuma keessaa bahee harka duwwaa waraana agaazii gombisaa jiru. Warri bahar gama teessanii arrallee dubbii waliin dha’uufi qabsoo Oromoo laaquu kajeeltan marti dhaabbadhaa nurraa. Kanaaf jaalattaniis jibbitaniis gootoonni isaan dhiira dhugaa tahuun harka duwwaa biyya keessaa diinatti lubbuu sardaa jiru kanneeni malee nama biraa eenyullee miti. Ittiin daldaluufi ittiin dallaaluus lakkisaa.
“Jaalattaniis jibbitaniis Oromiyaan qeerroo goototaan ni bilisoomti!”

–
Saphaloo Kadiir / Abdulbasit
Onk. 2016

The post ARRAAS BORUUS GOOTOONNI WARRAAQSA QABSOO OROMOO QEERROO BIYYA KEESSAATI! (Saphaloo Kadiir irraa) appeared first on Bilisummaa.

United Oromo People Liberation Front

October 8, 2016

We are shocked by the carnage of this past Sunday, October 2, that took place at

this year’s Irreecha, Oromo Thanksgiving, celebration at Bishoftu. Unprovoked and

without warning, the criminal enterprise of the TPLF massacred upward of 600 people

and injured many others by indiscriminately firing tear-gas and live ammunitions into a

peaceful crowd celebrating the perennial festival. To add an insult to injury, the TPLF

regime has arrested even those who were fortunate enough to survive the mayhem.

First and foremost, we extend our heart -felt condolences to the families and

relatives of the victims. We also express that our prayers and thoughts are always with

the Oromo people and other people in the region tormented by the TPLF. Those who

perished celebrating Irrecha and defending our nation deserve a special place in our

heart and in the annals of Oromo history.

Then, we condemn the TPLF in the strongest terms for its cowardly and barbaric act

on peaceful celebrants of our sacred Oromo culture Irreecha. We consider this latest

wanton act of the TPLF not an attack only on our people but also on our culture, our

faith, and our identity as a nation. Simply put, the attack is the epitome of the genocidal

policy that the TPLF cabal groups have actively followed for a quarter of a century to

efface the Oromo people and their culture from the face of the earth. For twenty- five

years, the TPLF has subjected the Oromo people, as well as other ethnic groups in the

region, to unimaginable human suffering and destruction. As the most populous ethnic

group in the region and as the inhabitant of the most fertile land with abundance of

natural resources, the Oromo people has borne the brunt of a quarter-century barbaric

repression by the TPLF whose main objective is to establish a Tigre supremacy over

the Oromo people and other people in the region.

Hence, the horrific tragedy we have witnessed this week at Thanksgiving gathering is

an affirmation of our assessment of life under the TPLF dictatorship and also an

affirmation of the extent of moral decadence and brutality exhibited by a rejected and

dying TPLF regime. Fortunately, history is on our side: no amount of brutality and

crackdown on oppressed people can save a rejected empire and authoritarian regime

from crumbling.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, ‘’injustice anywhere is a threat to justice

everywhere.” This statement is self –evident that injustice in Oromia region is also a

threat to justice in Amhara region, in Sidama region, in Gambela region, in Somali

region and so forth. Therefore, we call on all other people in the region to join us in a

fight against our common enemy TPLF to usher stability, peace, and democracy.

We also call on governments and organizations around the globe, especially the US,

UK, Canada, the UN, and the EU, to strongly condemn the human right practices of the

TPLF and to immediately terminate providing assistance to the repressive regime, and

also exercise their influences in setting up an independent investigative body to look

into the human rights abuses committed by the TPLF.

Finally, we call on all Oromo political Organizations and civic organization to set their

differences aside and stand in solidarity with our heroic youth and masses to hasten the

downfall of the decaying regime of the TPLF.

Victory to Oromo people and all oppressed people of Ethiopia!

United Oromo People Liberation Front

The post Statement on the cowardly and barbaric act of the TPLF on Oromo people and their culture at Irreecha celebration appeared first on Bilisummaa.

The post Here is an email sent to countries (Norway; United Kingdom; Germany; United States;United Nations Security Council). appeared first on Bilisummaa.

  ABOn  konyaa Sweden Sadaasa 12/ 2016,FXG, waggaa tokkoofi demaa jiru  sabebeffachun Hawasa Oromoo Biyaa Sweden mari’aachisufi qophii xumarata jira. Akeeki qophii kanaas yeroo amma ummati Oromoo qabsoo bilisummaa fi walabummaa tasissa jiru, fixaan baasufi maal gochuun nurra eegamma kan jedhufi, warra qabsoo kana irratti waregaman yadachun taha. Mariin hawasaa kunis haala amma deemaa jiru yaada keessa galchuun kaayyoo ABO fi saba keenya ibsu yaalla. Akkasumas sabi keenya qabsoo kana xumuraa itti gochuufi waregama lubbuu kumataman baasa jiru, WBO jabbessuun  ala filanoo biraa akka hin jire beekuun, hawaasi Oromoo biyaa ambaa jiru qooda isaa beekkun gummacha irraa barbaadamuu tasisun, yeron isaa ammaa jenna. Saganta qophii kana fi galmaa iddoo qophiin kun itti tahu yeroo gababatti issin beeksifna. Kanumaan walqabsissun hiriira nagaa gochuun dungoo qabsissun warra qabsoo kana irratti wareegaman yaadana.

Injifatnnon Uummata Oromoof!!!

Koree Hojii Rawwachiiftuu K Sweden.

The post Waamicha Yaadannoo  Guyyaa  FXG,  Waggaa  Tokkofaa.. appeared first on Bilisummaa.

ADDA BILISUMMAA OROMOO

OROMO LIBERATION FRONT

OLF Press Release

Despite being the majority in Ethiopia, the Oromo people have been marginalized by the

successive Ethiopian governments. Unimaginable atrocities have been committed against the

Oromo during the campaign to create the Ethiopian empire and afterwards to upkeep it. In the

process, the Oromo were reduced to third class citizenship status on their own land. Our people

have been expressing their grievances at different times but the response from the ruling

Ethiopian authorities have always been to violently suppress their demand.

When the current TPLF/EPDRF government came into power, the OLF participated in the

transitional government hoping that it will end the cycles of oppressions and subjugations for

all peoples in Ethiopia. Within a short period of time, however, it became apparent that the

objective of the TPLF was not to create a democratic and all-inclusive system of government

but to camouflage itself with a façade of democracy and create a government that serves a

minority.

Hoping against all odds that the TPLF will listen to their grievances, the Oromo people

continued raising their concerns peacefully at different times over the last 25 years. In the

process, tens of thousands of Oromo students, farmers, professionals, and business owners have

been killed, jailed, tortured, and disappeared. In the name of economic development, hundreds

of thousands of Oromo families have been forcefully displaced from their ancestral lands with

no, or very little, compensation. These unconstitutional displacements did not only make the

families poor and destitute but negatively impacted their culture, language, identity, and general

wellbeing.

Despite continued protests by Oromo students, farmers, and the general public against

displacements of Oromo families, the TPLF/EPRDF government came up with the Addis

Ababa Master Plan without any consultation with the stakeholders. The plan expands Addis

Ababa’s border to 50-times of its current size, potentially displacing millions of Oromo people

from their farmland. Historical marginalization coupled with TPLF’s illegal policy of

displacements intensified the November 2015 Oromo popular protest. Instead of listening to the

people and addressing their demands, the TPLF resorted to its violent rhetoric by killing over

800 people most documented by several human rights organizations.

These killings, however, did not deter the heroic Oromo people from continuing their struggle

for their just cause. The protest expanded to all regions of Oromia and other regional states

throughout Ethiopia, including the Amhara region. Frustrated by the unity of the oppressed

peoples of Ethiopia, TPLF resorted to more killing in all regions. Over a thousand people have

been killed in Oromia, Amhara, Gambella, and Southern regional states since July 2016.

تاريخ رقم Lakk.:22/stm/abo/2016

No.:

جبهۃ تحـرير اورومـى

P.O. Box 6973 Asmara, Eritrea Tel 2911 110236 Email: Caalchis@gmail.com, www.oromoliberationfront.org

TPLF’s heinous crimes against the Oromo escalated to the highest level on October 2, 2016

when their army, accompanied by helicopters gunship, massacred over 678 people who came

out to celebrate the Irrechaa, an Oromo thanksgiving festival. Angered by such atrocities, the

Oromo people from every corners of Oromia and other regions of Ethiopia continued their

peaceful demonstrations and took some actions against the TPLF in self-defense. The TPLF

government has done everything in its power, including the creation of conflicts between

different ethnic and religious groups within Ethiopia, to quell these protests. When its divide-
and-rule policy failed, the TPLF regime declared a state of emergency on October 9,

2016. It is to be remembered that Oromia is already under martial law since December 2016

and the state of emergency is not going to change the dynamics on the ground. This

declaration is nothing but a license for the military to continue killing more people and

reestablish the superiority of the minority Tigrean elites.

It is a mockery that the declaration states “the state of emergency will not breach basic human

rights enshrined under the Ethiopian constitution” while in fact the TPLF has been violating

the basic human rights of the Ethiopian peoples for the last 25 years. The Ethiopian peoples in

general, and the Oromo people in particular, know well that the TPLF/EPRDF regime does not

respect human rights and have demanded a fundamental change. The system is rotten and

reshuffling political leadership within TPLF/EPRDF does not address the deep rooted causes

of the problem. Instead of invoking articles that suites its cause from the constitution, TPLF

needs to respect the constitution and abide by its rules.

Contrary to TPLF’s assertion that these protests are supported by external governments or

groups, Oromo people’s struggle for freedom and justice is self-reliant for the last decades. It

is TPLF’s character to use a neighboring state or group as a scapegoat every time people ask

legitimate questions and it is not different this time. Unfortunately for the TPLF, the Ethiopian

peoples have known their lies for the last quarter of a century and will never give them the

legitimacy that they are seeking by pointing fingers to foreign elements.

The OLF strongly believes that the only choice that is left for the TPLF at this juncture is to

relinquish the power and be accountable for crimes they have committed against the Oromo

and other peoples in Ethiopia. The OLF has an obligation and responsibility to defend the

Oromo people from TPLF’s killing machinery by any means necessary.

The OLF would like to use this opportunity to once again call upon the Oromo people not to

be distracted by the declared state of emergency and redouble their struggle to remove this

terrorist government once and for all. We would also like to call upon the oppressed nations

and nationalities in Ethiopia to ignore the divide-and-rule tactics of the TPLF and stand with

the Oromo people to free yourselves from the yoke of oppression. We remind again the

Ethiopian Peoples that this is not only Oromo People’s problem; it is a serious concern to all

and we have to stand together to solve it once and for all by removing this fascist regime.

Finally, we call upon the international community and all peace loving people around the

world to make note of the impending crises in Ethiopia and hold the terrorist government in

Ethiopia accountable for crimes it has committed and is about to commit. The declared state

of emergency is sure to cause more deaths and destructions and it is only the TPLF/EPRDF

government that is responsible.

Victory to the Oromo people!

Oromo Liberation Front

October 10, 2016

The post Declaring a state of emergency cannot reverse Oromo peoples’ struggle for freedom and democracy. appeared first on Bilisummaa.

http://blackagendareport.com/

by Mark P. Fancher

Ethiopia’s authoritarian regime, dominated by elites of the Tigrayan ethnic group, faces growing protest by the Oromo and Amhara people, who together make up the majority of the population. Even the U.S. admits that the regime is a serious violator of human rights, yet the U.S. is Ethiopia’s main military ally. Given the glaring contradictions, it is fair to ask: “Will U.S. troops be called into Ethiopia to do battle with civilian protesters?”

Will U.S. Troops Become the Ethiopian Government’s Thugs?

by Mark P. Fancher

“We are all Oromo.”

The government of Ethiopia recently declared a state of emergency in response to a wave of massive protests by that country’s Oromo people. For decades the Oromo have been the targets of government oppression and political repression even though they represent more than a third of Ethiopia’s population. The frequency and intensity of Oromo resistance has increased in recent months, and it was highlighted by a cross-armed gesture made during the Olympics by Feyisa Lilesa, an Oromo who ran the marathon for Ethiopia. (Holding the arms above the head to form an “x” is a gesture of Oromo resistance.)

The most recent crisis follows accusations that Ethiopian security forces fired bullets and teargas into a crowd of an estimated two million Oromo gathered for a holy festival. The Ethiopian government says there were 55 deaths, but activists claim more than 500 people died in the resulting stampede. In addition, by at least one account the government’s recent confiscation of Oromo farmland for purposes of commercial development for foreign businesses sparked protests around the country.

Perhaps of even greater concern to the government is emerging solidarity between the Oromo and Ethiopia’s Amhara people. The current Ethiopian government, dominated by elites of the Tigray people, has encouraged hostility between the Oromo and the Amhara in order to preserve government hegemony. However, the government has reacted violently to the protests of both the Oromo and the Amhara, and the two groups have begun to make common cause. At rallies, Amhara activists have proclaimed: “I am not Oromo but I stand with my Oromo brothers.”  “We are all Oromo.”

“The government has reacted violently to the protests of both the Oromo and the Amhara, and the two groups have begun to make common cause.”

Lurking in the shadows of the upheaval is the United States of America. Ethiopia is among the top ten African recipients of U.S. military financing, notwithstanding complaints that the Ethiopian government has used this support to violate human rights. Even the U.S. State Department has complained about “restrictions on freedom of expression…restrictions on freedom of association, including through arrests; politically motivated trials, and harassment and intimidation of opposition members and journalists.” Nevertheless, in March the U.S. and Ethiopia signed a new security partnership agreement. While the U.S. apparently believes this relationship is necessary because of the supposed role Ethiopia can play in combating terrorism in the region, evolving U.S. military operations in the Horn of Africa make Ethiopia a place to watch carefully in coming months.

Of particular concern is the fact that “Task Force Hurricane,” a U.S. military unit that will work out of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, was recently launched. This unit is designed to carry out the mission of the East African Response Force (EARF) which, because of the attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya, is focused heavily on protecting diplomatic personnel. An EARF company commander explained: “The EARF is a rifle infantry company that is on standby for a short notification to deploy rapidly in response to a crisis in a permissive environment.” One of the unit’s private first class soldiers was more plain-spoken. He said: “…if anything was to ever go down, we need to be prepared, we need to be ready to go. The purpose of the EARF is that we are supposed to be ready if we ever get called to go to an embassy or if anything ever goes down, we are ready to fight.”

“Ethiopia is among the top ten African recipients of U.S. military financing.”

What does all of this mean if at any time protesters are perceived to be threats to foreign embassies or U.S. citizens? Already the U.S. embassy has blamed the death of a post-doctoral biology researcher from the University of California-Davis on protesters who allegedly threw stones at her vehicle while she was in Ethiopia for a meeting. Protesters in Ethiopia have also been blamed for damaging a Turkish textile firm’s factory and a Turkish owned cable plant. When commenting on the state of emergency, Ethiopia’s prime minister said: “We want to put an end to the damage that is being carried out against infrastructure projects, health centers, administration and justice buildings.” Will U.S. troops be called into Ethiopia to do battle with civilian protesters?

At the time of the signing of the new security partnership agreement with the U.S., Ethiopian Defense Minister Siraj Fegessa said: “I look forward to continuing the close cooperation of our two defense forces. I have no doubts that we will turn that into a truly successful endeavor.” Speaking for the U.S., AFRICOM’s Commander David Rodriguez said: “Support between the Ethiopians and the U.S. will continue to be broad ranging, and will include equipment, training, advisory support, information sharing, and logistics support.” While visiting Ethiopia last year, President Obama called Ethiopia an “outstanding partner” in the fight against terrorists.

The protests against the Ethiopian government are likely to continue, and there is potential for revolution. The U.S. may ultimately face the hard choice of deciding whether its friendship with the Ethiopian government is worth sending U.S. troops into a country in turmoil to suppress civilians who fight for the most basic human rights.

Mark P. Fancher is an attorney who writes frequently about the U.S. military presence in Africa. He can be contacted at mfancher@comcast.net.

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Wayyaaneen labsii sodaa maalif labsite? Akkamiin irra aanna?

Wayyaaneen lansii sodaa ( state of emergency) wanni labsiteef sababa gurguddaa sadi qaba:
1) Caasaan bulchiinsa OPDO guutumaan guututti waan laamshayeef akka dur ummata Oromoo cunqursitee bulchuufi hin dandeenye. Kanaafuu duubaan osoo hin taane kallattiidhaan bulchuuf dirqamteeti. Kana jechuun sirna bulchiinsa naannoo Oromiyaa kan amma dura itti fayyadamuuf jaarte faaydaa isaarra miidhaan waan hammaateef diiguun kallattiidhaan jiddugaleessa (center) irraa bulchuuf murteessite.

2) Tarkaanfii diinaggee ishii laamshessuuf fudhatameen maallqa biliyoona 120 ol kasaartee jirti. Maallaqni invastimantii alaa seenuu erga dhaabe tureera. Ammaa warri alaafi dureeyyiin biyyaatuu maallaqa saffisaan baafachaa jiru. Kanaafu biyyatti humna waraanaa jala galchinee tasfgabbeessuuf deemna jechuun invastaroota abdachiisuu barbaadu.

3) Labsiin kun tarkaanfii itti aananii fudhachuu hedaniif haala mijeessuf kan godhameedha. Tarkaanfiin itti aanu haalli daran hammachaa yoo deeme sirnicha baraaruuf fonqolcha waraanaa (military coup) godhuudha. Kanas waraannifi dameen tikaa wal ta’uun hoggansa siyaasaa aangorraa buusanii ofii qabachuudha. Kana ammoo waan dhoksaan godhan osoo hin taane kanuma Tigroonni wal mari’atanii bilcheessanii jirani. Jeneraala tokko ol baasu, hogganoota siyaasaa fakkeessaaf aangorraa buusanii hidhu. Bifa kanaan haleellaa humnaa hamaa fudhachuun ummata jiilchanii of jalatti deebisuu yaadu.

Kuni qabsoo ummata keenyaatiif injifannoo guddaadha. Bu’a tarsiimoo isaatis ta’uun hubatamuu qaba. Diinaggee ishee laamshessuunifi caasaa bulchiinsa OPDO diigun sirnachi mataa irratti akka afaanfajaawu godhee jira. Labsiin kun ummata keenyarraa miidhaa amma dura hin jirre wanni fidu hin jiru. Waggaa 25 wayyaaneen humnaan malee seeraan hin bulchine. ‘Command Post’ har’a dhaabne jedhan kana Oromiyaa ittiin bulchuu kan eegalan ji’a Muddee 2015 irraa eegaleeti malee haaraa miti. Inumaatuu faaydaa qaba. Faaydaan tokko shira dhoksaan ummata keenya irratti raaw’ataa turan ifatti seera baasanii addunyaatti himuun qabsoo diplomaasii keenya ni gargaara. Kan lammaffaa labsiin kun invastarootaaf abdii kennee kan tasgabbeessuu osoo hin taane kan daranuu abdii kutacheesee biyyaa baasu waan taheef tarsiimoo diinaggee ishii laamshessuu san daran gargaara.

Miidhaa isiin labsii kanaan waraana biyya keenya keessa gadi lakkiftee ummata itti miitu irra aanuudhaafi kufaatii Wayyaanee saffisiisuuf tooftaalee qabsoo amma duraa dabalatee tarkaanfilee sirna ishii laamshessu fudhachuun barbaachisa. Kanneen keessaa

1) Ummanni keenya karaa hundaan dhuunfaafi waloon hidhannoo harkatti galfachuu jabeessee itti fufuu qaba.

2) Tarkaanfiin diinaggee ishii daran laamshessuu daldala biyya alaatti erguufi galchuu ( import & export) dhaabsisuu irratti fuulleffachuu qaba.

3) Sochii waraanni ishii godhu ugguruufi diinaggees daran haleeluuf dhiheessii boba’aa ( gaazaa) alaa galu kallattii hundaan hanqisii qabna. Bootteen jaraa alaa galaa Oromiyaa keessa darbe loltoota isaaniitiif gaaza guutuu dhoowwuu barbaachisa.

Kuni akkamitti hojiirraa oolaa, qabsaa’otaaf dhiifna. Waraanaa humnaan isin caalu kallattiin dura hin dhabbatinaa. Daguu fi riphuun irraa aanaa. Isaan qawween isin caalan, isin lafaafi ummata keessan isaanirra baaktan. Qorannoo gahaa godhaa, sirritti itti qophaayaa, gaaga’ama isinirra gahu hirdhisaa, balaa diina mudatu guddisaa.
Dhugaan teessani,
Tokkummaan bobba’aa
Injiffannoon galaa!!

The post #OromoRevolution LABSII MUDDAMAA WAYYAANEEN BAAFTE LAAMSHESSUUF appeared first on Bilisummaa.

Diinni baroota dheeradhaf milijena itti dhangalasee karaa bitamtootaa fi gantota qabsoo kana dhabamsiisuu ijibataa ture.Haa tahu malee dhabichis tahe hogganoti qabsicha cichoo tahan abdii osoo hin kutanne  qabsoo hidhatinnoo,Diplomasii siyasaa fi fincila uummataa walitti  qindessuun waregama qaqqalii kaffalaa fi injifatnoo gurgguddaa  galmeessaa turan fi jirus.

Yeroo dheeraa fi keessaa iyyuu ji’ota darban kana  olollii fi roorroon ABO fi qabsa’ota bilisummaa oromoo irratti godhama jiru kana, hogganootii fi miseensoti dhabichaa hojii  fi diina uummata oromoo fi oromiyaa irratti duula sanyii daguuggaa rawachaa jirutti qiyyafatanii ti malee kan akkasumatti callisanii ykn sodatanii  bira kutan namatti fakkachuu hin qabu .

Yammuu ABOn diinni uummata oromoo humnaan weerare saamaa fi ajjessaa jiru kun  humnan malee oromiyaa irraa hin buqqa’u  jechuun  diina misa’ela ,meshaa baroo   fi SIA irraa gorsa argachuun maqaa goolessitootan ABO fi  WBO irratti duula daangaa hin qabne gochaa ture gariin isanii iccitii dhabichaa gurgurachaa fi  wayyanetti dabalamuuf kadhachaa bahan. Inni kaan yeroo dantaan bitameee diinaaf hojjetu garii ammoo beekas tahe osoo hin beekin diinaaf dalagaa turee fi jira . oromootni garii ganda ,amantii fi garee ilaalu malee warra diinaaf dalagu jala hiriiranii jiraachuu isanii hin argan” akkuma sangaan marga malee hallayyaa hin argine akkuma  jedhan”.

Harra gaafa qabsoon kun wareegama ilmaan cunqurfaman bakka olanaa kana  irra gahu warri kalessa diina jala eegee raasa turan samsonayitii  fi karabatii isinii sirreffachaa bobokkisu jalqaban ,waltajjin hawwasaa iyyuu wal hankachuu jalqabe Gariis akka wal fakatuun garee funaannatee charterii ijarachuu jalqabe ”utuu bineensi hin du’in sakkinii qarachuu”ykn dura qurpheen foon haa taatu jedhan.

Qeerroon harra hundumtuu abba itti tahuuf fiigu kun kan salphatti ijaaramte miti

Hojii kun as gahuu fi ABO gatii gudda fi waregama lubbuu hedduu akka gaafate seenaaf dhiifna.Yeroo ABOn kana jalqabe Karaa paltalkii fi karaa garaa  garaa itti kolfama ture .”Hin bari’u seetee manatti haddee jedhan  

Dubbin kana miti ABOs tahe uummatni oromoo kan fedhu oromiyaan harka diina keessa baatee kan oromoo tahuu qofa  male enyuutu  abbaa itti taha  kan jedhu kun waan nu cinqu tahuu hin qabu. Kanaaf kan kanaan dura Qeerroo eenyutu ijaree irratti hin cuinqamina jennef “foon lafa jirtu allattin muka irraa wal goolti” jedha  oromoon yammuu makmaaku.

Namootni tokko tokko waan ABOn wareegama yeroo dheera fi gurgudda itti kaffale asiin gahe  bishan itti naqxanii waan hin jirre as baasuu yaalu . Hoggantii fi miseensoti dhabicahas akkuman gubbatti kaase utuma arganii  waan fardii dursaa jirru .  Kanaan dura meerre beektoti oromoo ,meerre aktvistoti oromoo jedhee kan bo’e  waamicha isiniif godhaa fi didhaa isinitti uumaa   ture qabswotuma harra isin salphisuu yaaltani kanaa dha. Waan isin jala dhokate  tokko yoo jiraate garuu garuu qabsawoti harra umurii isanii guutu qabsochatti fixanii asiin gahan kun dantaa saba isanii dursaniiti malee osoo dantaa isanii dursaniru tahe lafa isin harra geessan kan gahuu waan dadhaban jettanii yoo yaaddan ni dogoggortanii sirreffadhaa jenna

Mee yammuu jara kana salphisuu yaaltan kana yoo tokko kahee kanaan dura  eessa turtee? harra eessaa as baate jedhe si gaafate deebii quubsaa qabdaa laata? Akka ati deebii itti hin qabne nutu si caalaa beeka qabswoti garuu akki itti yaadan kana miti  namni tokko  gaafuma galeef dammaqa ,gaafa dammaqe sabaaf taha jedhanii yaadu.Ni beekna osoo fincilli uummataa kunii fi  sochin ABO kun  of booda debi’e ammo akka fincan adalaa dhabamtu.

Kanaaf kanan sila anaa dhufu ,baga nagaan dhuftan jedhee yoon xiqqoon dhabbasen dubbadhe  tahe iyyuu .Haa tahu malee baga nagaan of yaadattan gaafa jennu hogganootaa fi  qabsawota  warra jabaatee itti chichee hojjete qabsocha dandamachiise asiin gahe kana ammo irra ejjedhaa darbaaf isinii hayyamuu miti ,Ilmi abbaa tuffatu ,salphisu lafa yaade hin gahu jannata ille hin argatu akka amantii oromoo gurguddaa sadanuutti.

Walumaa gala warri ABO fi qabsawota xiqqessitanii OPDO tokko tokko warra dhiiga ilmaan oromoon harka dhiqachaa bahan jala fiigdan osoo irra of qusattanii gaarii dha yoo tahuu baate waan isin mudatu isinuu beektu. utubaan ABO fi qabsawota qabsoo kanatti cichanii sibiila waan taheef, keessaa iyyuu warri ABO irratti kashalabbota bittanii olola ofsisaa jirtan kun hedduu of qusadhaa. Garii haadha manaa wayyene waliin hojjechiisa dhaaban hogganna jedhee yammuu burraa karrayuu jedhus ni agarra.  

Namooti kaan yammuu halli xiqqoo qabbanahu callisanii diina waliin lafa jala hariiroo isanii tolfachuun waan barbaadan godhu,qabsawota afaan fajjessuu fi dantaa isanii jala gulufu .gaafa sochiin WBO fi Fincilli uummata jabaatu ammoo gadi bahanii isin duukaa jirraa jechuun miIdiyaa  irratti bahuun uummata oromoo afaan faajjessuu fi  gowwomsuu yaalu ,kunis toobataa dullomaa dha ”yaa gantuu dabballe uummatini oromoo kuteera as irra illee” jette Maramen jannata nuuf haa boqottu malee.

Garii ammoo ofumaaf MQBO keessatti rakkina uumee gaafa milkahu dadhabu rakkoo mooraa keessa  qabnu yeron furachu qabna jedhe gadi baha hinuma rakkatne fira koo Akkuma ”namni galanni nyaate hoomacha qaqqabata” jedhan jojonja’uu irra afaan ofii qabatanii yoo waan dandahan oromoof gumaachan hoo?

Kan biraan QBO kan argaa fi dhagahettii argatee as gahe OMN dhaan miti OMN fi warra isa hoggananu kan dhalche ABO fi SBO  dha. Kanaf hogganoota OMN irraa olola diinaan jalqabame gantootan oofamaa jiru isan irras   dhagahuun hedduu nu gaddisiise .Haa tahu malee OMN iyyu kan akka gad dhaabatu godhe irra hedduun miseensotuma ABO ti . maaliif kan ABO fi miseensota dhabichaa gaddisiisuun akka barbaachise naaf hin galu. ራጋ በይ ባሏት ምናዉ መገስጋሷ, ጣልፎ እንዳይ ዋድቋት ዬጋዛ ቃምሷ” jedhe Tafara Nagash  dhiifama afaan warra isaan jala fiiganiin makmakuu koof (yaa soogidda yoo ofii jette minyaayi ykn dhakaa dha jedhan si gatuu) kan jedhus jira. Ka biraan lafa turree fi lafa dhufnee  dagachuu hin qabnu,silaa illee waan hedduu dubbatnaa “ Haa taa’u jedhe jaldeessi dhakaa galagalchee”.Yoo iji keessan waan ABOn hojjetuu fi lola inni godhu hin argu tahe warri iji isanii arguu fi diinni lolame of irraa haa dubbatuu  waan hin taane dubbattanii of hin xiqqeessinaa.

Walumaa gala toobtaan ABO fi miseensota isaa lamshesina jedhamee fiigamaa jiramu kun dulloomaa dha, kun ammoo akka misensoti dhabichaa iccitii isanii dhokfatanii dhimma qabsoo irratti jabaatanii hojjetan taasise malee hin laaffisne.Namni hamattuu fi goomattuu olladhaa qabu akka inni bitaa fi mirga isaa to’achaa deemu isa taasisa ykn ni jabeessa.

Gara dhumaa irratti yeroon amma kun yeroo itti  tokko xiqqessanii tokko ol kaasan miti yeroo itti waan qaban gqabatanii diina oromoo fi oromiyaa dhabamsiisaa jiru kana irratti duulanii Bilisummaa fi walabummaa Oromiyaa uummata oromoo miliyoonan dheebote itti agarsiisanii dha.

Injifatnoon Uummata Oromoof !!!

Abdii Borii Irraa.

The post Ololli Hogganoota fi Miseensota  ABO irratti godhamaa jiru Qabsoo Oromoo fi Misensota  Dhaabicha ni jabeessa malee hin laffisu. appeared first on Bilisummaa.