The battle over the Oromo Liberation Flag: Part I

August 26, 2013 | By Rundaasaa Asheetee Hundee

The battle over the Oromo Liberation Flag between all those who claim to represent the Oromo people demonstrates how gross deception is employed with respect to representing the Oromo freedom. For example, peaceful means of struggle requires disarming oneself and compromising with the ruling Tigre clan. That means, any group or individual that agrees with the ruling colonizing Tigre force must agree with the resettlement program that the Tigre rulers are undertaking in Oromia, and they must support the resource exploitation and degradation even if it ultimately leads to resource-based conflicts between the native people and the new Arab and Indian settlers. Following this objective, one must stop calling one’s party or group “the FRONT”.

This being the case however, groups such as the Oromo democratic FRONT play with words and with the Oromo Liberation Front flag to intentionally perpetuate confusion and to fuel conflicting messages. The objective of the so called ODF is clear. The party’s goal is to start up conversation among the ethnic groups, especially the ruling Tigre/Amhara clans and convince them to recognize the Oromo people as equal political players and then change the constitution of the empire. To do so requires not the Oromo liberation front flag and title “FRONT” but the creation of political party that could function like other so called parties in empire Ethiopia.

Most importantly, the group that is planing to integrate different ethnic groups under one flag should not promote the Oromo flag. What is very clear that the Oromo Liberation Flag represents the Oromo people who continue to suffer until the inequities in resource distribution and access to decision making power is guaranteed. That means, the process through which ODF is planing to transform the empire is initiating and the strengthening the negotiation processes. As it is right now however, the ODF tries to be both. What should be appropriate to be used as an organization name and flag for the so called ODF group is something that shows conflict resolution title such as rainbow coalition and empire Ethiopia’s flag. Otherwise, title ODF promotes the mission of dialogue and democracy among the Oromians and that obviously requires to oppose the colonial agenda that the Tigre clan is promoting in Oromia for 22 years, following the Amharas who are fighting very hard to promote the colonial legacies and socio-political dominance that their Nafxanya fore fathers have established for them.

Continues on part 2