OLF is the spirits of the martyred and the living Oromo
In a democratic system that relies on the basic principle of government of the people by the people, election is everything as it determines policies, directions, and peace and war of a nation. In Ethiopia, election is also a way the new comer prosecutes (punishes) the outgoing. For fear prosecution, every election in Ethiopia is corrupt because the one in power wants to hold onto power for as long as possible even if it means killing people, and destroying a community and a nation until it is forced out of office. The current EPRDF government of Ethiopia led by Dr. Abiy is no different.
A question every Oromo and open minded people should ask is why the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is constantly under attack by Amhara elites, Tigray elites, and some Oromo elites? Especially by OPDO now.
What do we know:
Amhara Nefxeenyas: The obvious ones are the Nefxeenyas and their associates whose main fear of the Oromo Liberation Front is it challenges their economic, cultural, and social dominance for more than a century. Their alliance with anyone against the Oromo Liberation Front does not come as surprise. It has been their dream to permanently ban the OLF. But little they know that Qeerroowill rule the Oromo politics for the rest of the century with or without the OLF. It seems that for now they found perfect partners in Dr. Abiy and Lemma to do their bidding.
The OPDO: The Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization is made by TPLF for one and only one purpose and that is to be used as foil to the OLF and remotely control the Oromo people. In this mission the OPDO assisted and abated with the enemy in the last 28 years and owns the misery, disappearances, killings, and displacement visited upon the Oromo people. In his speech recently, the PM admitted that he was in Wallaga in his early political carried as a 16 and 17 years old. Ask yourself what was he doing there? Teaching Oromo farmers how to farm better or spying them and handing over to his masters in Finfinnee that latter earned him promotion and the trust of Getachew Assafa in the spy agency with his buddy Lemma Megersa. One only wonders how many Oromo has he given up to get such prestigious post. Today, every OPDO has similar stories and Oromo blood hanging over their head. Therefore losing election to the OLF means accountability for their crimes and there is nothing to gain from OLF’s win and must be stopped at any expenses. As a result a war is declared on the Oromo people and already claiming the lives of hundreds and displacing thousands! One wonders whether the recent name calling of the Oromo in West Oromia is a calculated move to cover past crimes and an effort to preemptively attack any testimony that might come from the people there.
The ODF and ABO-X’s: These are groups that at different times splinted from the OLF for ideological difference (very few) and mostly personal conflict with the Organization. For example, Leencoo Lata still holds grunges against the OLF and Dawud for disciplinary measures that dismissed him from the Organization. Since then he tried several avenues to revenge that and finally it looks like he found Dr. Abiy and Lemma for his proxy war against the Oromo people and the OLF. The rest of the splinters are splinted from Leencoo Lata’s original splinter. They have no political agenda of their own except blame and complain about the OLF as their political agenda and besides, Leencoo Lata is the patriarch of all of these groups. So looking into Leencoo Lata is enough to understand them. A political agenda drawn from personal vendetta.
OLF is victim of own success: The Oromo Liberation Front is one of the oldest Liberation Fronts that is struggling on behalf of the Oromo people, the most populous population in the Ethiopian Empire and the second largest in Africa. During this time it has achieved and laid the foundation for a nation, the Oromo nation with a long way to go. After it has been pushed out of the transitional government of TPLF-EPRDF and losing the majority of its leadership in the hands of TPLF-OPDO, the current OLF (commonly referred to as ABO Shanee – Shanee means central committee in Oromifa) rebuilt the organization and transformed the Organization to mass based organization by participating the wider Oromo society at every level. It destroyed enemy’s oppressive structure and replaced it by its own underground structure, organized the Oromo youth to demand their right in a peaceful struggle which is now famously known as Qeerroo/Qarree movement, and couples that with armed resistance to the regime in Oromo Liberating Army (WBO in Oromifaa). Even those who opposes the OLF know this well but don’t admit it. Instead they try to disassociate the organization from this towering achievements and claim the success as their own. When the world knows that they are fortunate to be Oromo and in the collision. This is like Dr. Abiy saying that I was elected the PM because I am better than Lemma when we know that even if Lemma displayed poise and calm worth of the PM and everyone was calling for Lemma to be the interim PM, since he was not member of the parliament and cannot be elected, we have Dr. Abiy.
Finally, the Oromo people’s struggle to put an end to an oppression that spans over centuries never had friends or support from the outside. It is organically built and supported by the Oromo people. This will continue until the Oromo people hold the levers of power genuinely. As some would like to say, the same people who have been cheering when the OPDO was helping the TPLF, that the current government is an Oromo government. This by itself shows their political naiveté for reasons I don’t want to mention.
Whether you are an Oromo or not, stop for a moment and rewind what happened in the last three to four years in the politics of the Horn of Africa. It is fascinating to think of the TPLF-EPRDF regime gets kicked in the groin and still hold to power in Ethiopia. Yes, Dr. Abiy and Lemma are reform minded and promised to lead the country during this transition period. Yes, they made a significant changes from the TPLF dominated EPRDF to theirs. But in recent days we are seeing a disturbing signs. At the core of it is using state apparatus and the army to advance their political agenda and waging war on the OLF (and Oromo people) that they deemed as a challenger. We have seen this movies before and know where it is heading. We will watch the rest of the movies together as it rolls! If anyone think that violence brings stability and peace to the country, they are in for a rude wakening. Killing people will never bring lasting peace.
Finally, every Oromo should ask him/herself that do I stand by and allow the government to kill and displace Oromo using the same army that have been raping, killing, and committing genocide against the Oromo people for the last 28 years. Do really Dr. Abiy and Lemma have their people’s interest at heart? If so why they stood by as close to 2 million Oromo are displaced and thousands are killed by neighboring states? What is important, having Oromo head of state or changing the system that enslaved the Oromo people for the last 100 years and salivating to come back? No one is asking for the neck of Dr Abiy and Lemma contrary to what is alleged sadly, the question is the Oromo struggle is not to mend and save the old oppressive empire, instead to build a new country in which we all see ourselves as equal citizens and have a say on our affair, having the right to form our own government be at local level or national level that looks out for our interest. It is upon every Oromo to hold hands together once again and tell our leaders NOT AGAIN. STOP THE WAR! NO MORE WAR. LEAVE BY YOUR WORDS!
Horaa Bulaa!
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