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ULFO’s Statement on the Recent Memorandum of Understanding and Agreements between the OLF Transitional Authority and the OLF Shanee Gumii

The following statement is from the United Liberation Forces of Oromiyaa (ULFO).

                                                ULFO’s Statement
                                                         On
                the Recent Memorandum of Understanding and Agreements
                                                       Between
                the OLF Transitional Authority and the OLF Shanee Gumii

The United Liberation Forces of Oromiyaa (ULFO) has received the understanding and agreements reached between the two OLF factions as a positive stride for our national liberation struggle. As an organization with a firm conviction in the unity of forces of liberation and one that has toiled and brought together a number of Oromo political organizations under one fold, ULFO cheerfully embraces the bold step the two organizations have taken in bridging the deep political chasm that supposedly split them apart for well over a decade.


ULFO commends the leadership of both factions for taking the decisive step towards embarking on the reunification process of the two factions. More so, it hails the leadership of the two factions for reaffirming, for friends and foes alike, the objective of the Oromo national liberation struggle in unequivocal terms as one destined for “the achievement of national self-determination and the establishment of an Independent Democratic Republic of Oromia.”

While the salient points stated in the agreement are all vitally important to help mend the fractured OLF, the reaffirmation of the objective of the struggle by far stands out in its implication on the two parties in agreement and beyond – on the broader agenda of the Oromo national liberation struggle for independence. This reaffirmation could help rest the national struggle on a solid base for a better trajectory of the struggle. According to ULFO, it would and should serve as a political platform on which all Oromo political forces and nationalists alike converge and launch from a clean slate a liberation struggle with a clear vision, a committed and renewed leadership, and a meticulously tailored organization that stands against the challenges of our time and meets the wish and aspiration of the Oromo nation.

Today, the fact remains that the Oromo nation is facing enormous challenges. The state of the nation is quite abysmal. The political marginalization of the Oromo is on the rise. Members of the nation are facing a rampant human rights abuse. The socio-economic malaise and the grinding poverty the nation endures are appalling. The Oromo people live under the most entrenched alien rule of the TPLF-Led regime of Ethiopia. In the face of such monumental challenges, there is no one staunch Oromo force that is presently countering the oppressive rule of the regime.

In light of this glaring fact, it is high time that Oromo political forces or groups put their acts together to extricate the Oromo nation from the unparalleled degree of oppression. On its part, ULFO will join the two OLF forces in calling for unity of all Oromo political forces or groups that espouse the independence of Oromiyaa as their political objective. ULFO has repeatedly demonstrated being the forerunner in practically engaging all parties with a shared vision on the unity agenda. A case in point is the ULFO Symposium that took place Toronto, Canada in July 2012: It organized the symposium, invited Oromo political forces, and had them deliberate on challenges and opportunities of consolidating forces within the liberation camp.ULFO will continue to constructively engage all forces to similarly come together and discuss issues of national concern. It will do its utmost to free the present political environment from the venomous politics that has stunted our struggle for decades. It will endeavour to help create a level plain political landscape where our diverse people, young and old, men and women, and the haves and have-nots all fully partake in the national liberation movement of the Oromo people. More importantly, ULFO will work towards forging a formidable national organization that can rally Oromo nationalists from all across Oromiyaa.

Regrettably, a time period that spans a generation has gone by without consolidating the organizational powerhouse that can propel our national struggle to its goal. Internal scuffle and political wrangling have undercut the emergence of such an organization and drained our energy and resources in vain. It is time that we redirect our resources to substantially equip the means of our struggle against the colonial regime.

By reaching into an understanding and reconciliation among them, OLF-TA and OLF-SG have opened a window of opportunity. We trust they will use this window of opportunity and demonstrate the seriousness of their commitment by practically engaging all forces to join them and chart expeditiously a framework for establishing a broad based national organization. We are confident that the Oromo public will fully endorse such a national endeavour. In this respect, ULFO calls upon the Oromo people to advice, encourage and when necessary duly exert pressure on all Oromo political organizations or groups to be on board for the mission of unification of forces in the liberation camp.

Unity is strength!
The United Liberation Forces of Oromiyaa
 Gadaa.com

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