New Deal to Smoke Out Oromo

The Nation (Nairobi)
Posted to the web 13 November 2007

Nairobi
Kenya and Ethiopia have agreed to flush out Oromo Liberation Front insurgents on their common border.
The deal was hammered out during a security meeting held at Hidi Lola Town in Ethiopia.
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The rebels have been sneaking into Kenya across the porous boundary.
The Kenyan delegation was led by the Moyale district commissioner, Mr Victor Okioma, while the Ethiopian team was led by Region Four provincial commissioner Abdulkadir Abdi Nura.
Mr Okioma said that the rebels destabilised security on the border and that Kenya had resolved to smoke them out of their hideouts.
He expressed satisfaction that communities living on the border were willing to provide information on the rebels to the authorities.

Mr Okioma said the meeting also assessed achievements by border security committees.
He noted that a conflict between the Borana and Gabra communities had been contained, and highway robbery stemmed across the boundary.
Mr Nura said they had granted amnesty to insurgents who surrendered themselves to Ethiopian authorities.

Battle in Mogadishu kills 18, rebels kidnap 3 Ethiopians

MOGADISHU, Somalia Nov 8 (Garowe Online) - Heavy fighting erupted in parts of south Mogadishu late Thursday between rebels and Ethiopian-backed government troops, sources said.
The battle, concentrated in the Baar Ubah and Black Sea neighborhoods, erupted after Ethiopian troops tracking down the location of a dead comrade's corpse were attacked by masked insurgents. The dead body of the Ethiopian soldier was dragged through streets by angry mobs who shouted anti-Ethiopia slogans.
Mogadishu's faceless fightersA total of six Ethiopian soldiers were confirmed dead as the battle continued into the early evening. Ethiopian forces killed eight rebels and captured five fighters alive, reliable sources said.
Three Ethiopian soldiers were kidnapped by the insurgents. One of the captured Ethiopian soldiers was wounded when the rebels took him away, said a witness who did not want to be named in print.
At least six civilians were killed in the crossfire.
The corpse that was dragged on the streets was killed in a previous battle in north Mogadishu's livestock market earlier Thursday. Ethiopian forces lost three men and retreated back to base during that battle, bringing the total dead Ethiopian soldiers in Mogadishu today to nine.
The Ethiopian unit returned for a second showdown in the livestock market around noon and engaged the rebels. For a second time, the Ethiopian unit returned to base with casualties.
Today's battles were the deadliest in months and come during a week when more than 2,000 extra Ethiopian troops entered Mogadishu. Many locals fearing a brutal Ethiopian crackdown were said to be fleeing their homes in those areas.
Source: Garowe Online

Ogaden rebels say killing over 270 Ethiopian troops

O.N.L.F Military Communique
2st November 2007
In response to summary executions, detentions of nomads and senseless shooting of livestock in various parts of Ogaden, particularly near Fik area, the ONLF dispatched large numbers of fighters who have engaged TPLF forces in 5 separate engagements near the towns of Gashaamo, Galaalshe, Gabo-Gabo, Sanhaskule and Haboosane.
In the period 26 October through 1st November these engagements resulted in over 270 TPLF troops killed with an unconfirmed number wounded. 5 military transport vehicles were destroyed by RPG-7s. The transport vehicles were full of troops when they were struck resulting in a high number of casualties.
Military engagements between ONLF troops and TPLF forces in the Ogaden has increased significantly over the last two weeks. This increase appears to be a coordinated and deliberate escalation in armed conflict initiated by the TPLF regime despite the humanitarian crisis in the Ogaden.
The TPLF regime continues to deny free access to the Ogaden for journalists in order to hide the extent of its military casualties from the outside world.
Ogaden National Liberation Front Military Operations Command Center (MOCC) OGADEN
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)

African Union Neglected Oromo People

Abdulkadir Gumi
October 31, 2007

African Union (AU), international organization established in 2002 by the nations of the former Organization of African Unity (OAU). The AU is the successor organization to the OAU, with greater powers to promote African economic, social, and political integration, and a stronger commmitment to democratic principles. The 53 nations of Africa are all members; the AU's headquarters are at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Designed somewhat along the lines of the European Union, the AU, when fully realized, will have a General Assembly, Executive Council, Pan-African Parliament, African Central Bank (and eventual common currency), African Monetary Fund, and other organs and agencies. The Constitutive Act of the AU was adopted at Lomé, Togo, in 2000, the act was ratified in 2001, and in July the OAU held its last summit as the AU came into existence. The OAU continued to function, however, during a yearlong transition period, until the first official summit of the AU was held in July, 2002. The Pan-African Parliament, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, was inaugurated in 2004, initially as a purely advisory body; the Peace and Security Council was established later the same year.
Appointment of Ethiopia As the base of AU was wrong decision upon African nation in there history. the presence of AU in Addis Ababa represents a dangerous conflict of African Policy of many African Nation as Ethiopia is already a Conflict zone and the largest producer of refugee in horn of Africa after Somalia,
Ethiopian is known to the world that they are turning all Horn of Africa people in torn of fire and war. The previous military action againist Somalia brings bad name to the long-standing democratic and pro-peace stature enjoys among its neighbors. It could leave an indelible scar between our brotherly peoples in Africa. AU should be preaching peace in Africa and should be neutral position on democracy and peace for it's and African people. Ethiopia is killing its citizens daily and likewise like other African to share the blood shade of innocent people. African should understand that. The problem of Horn of Africa indicates and confirms that Ethiopia don't like peace for whole Africa people. As they have manufactured tact's of beating one tribe against others In Northern Kenya and rest of Somalia and all horn of Africa.It is very wonderful that foreign soldiers and security agents from Ethiopia can enter into any other part of Horn of Africa easily and kill innocent African nationals. This has continued since colonial era but still AU allows this evil continues to be done against African people while it is based in that country." The world need anger, the world often continues to allow evil because it is not angry enough.....Bede Jarre.
AU should either quit its base from Addis Ababa or pressure on Addis Ababa government to implement democracy and peace in Ethiopia at first place.
As African I feel shame if the AU leaders are driven by the Ethiopian Policy and that anyone may face sack if speaks against Ethiopian government while he is in Ethiopian Territory .The AU is now driven by one Nation Policy of Ethiopia.why silence on this issue?
While AU is Ethiopia, why do we see Oromo people are millions in Ethiopian jail, Killed, and become refugees scattered allover the world just because of practicing there national right, many Oromo people lost there lives on the cause of peace and democracy.why?
I am not from Ethiopia or Ethiopian but As an admirer of Oromia a country bordering Ethiopia, I should be jubilating at Finfinne if appointed as AU headquarter and Oromia should be independent. I am not happy with the current Ethiopia because it undermines the credibility of the AU. AU headquarter is set in a wrong country. It is not correct country that serve African nation. Peace minister should be put at the head of an institution that is supposed to be a people's forum. I can see the argument of visibility, clout and personal influence that may have weighed heavily on the minds of those who orchestrated her nomination, in absentia. But it is a wrong precedence. It sends wrong signals about the readiness of the AU to embrace civil society as an independent partner.
what is happening in Somalia, a daily massacre and AU is silent and eye folded. all eye are in DARFUR where the war is motivated by voice and media but the crises is less or the same as that of Somalia and Oromo people, the AU is silent why?
We as observers and African thinkers should not keep quiet because AU is a much-loved 'one of us'.and we need it to be in right way.
For African Union to succeed there has to be increase of democracy and participation of ordinary citizens in the affairs and governance of the continent. Without this, all the regional bodies (and we have had many) simply turn in to private clubs of the ruling elites. Furthermore, these elites, because they don't get their mandate from the African people, collude with multinational companies to rip off Africa with impunity. It is hard for the same people to be serious with an African Union without input from ordinary citizens who suffer daily in the continent.
It was a good time for taking stock, and asking serious questions. What, participants asked, has the current AU Secretariat done to prepare to Africa peace? How will the AU help promote the continent's political and economic integration? Most importantly, will the Union in representing the interests of ordinary Africans, following its repeated failures on pressuring African governments and regional organizations to realize the early aspirations for peace, unity, social progress and people's participation.
What happened to AU that the third largest Ethnic group in Africa "Oromo People" are suffering in Ethiopia without recognition of AU on there plight till now? What happened to AU? While many world nation recognized the Oromo political crises, our mother Africa AU never spoke out for Oromo people, or dreamed to solve the political problem in Ethiopia. This indicates that AU is masterminded by EPRDF policies to eliminate Oromo people's voice in There AGENDA.
The country of the Oromo is called Biyya-Oromo (Oromo country) or Oromia (Oromiya). Oromia was one of the free nations in the Horn of Africa until its colonization and occupation by Abyssinia at the end of the nineteenth century. In the east it is bordered by Somalia, Afar lands and Djibouti, in the West by Sudan, in the South by Somalia, Kenya and others and in the North by Amhara and Tigre land or Abyssinia proper. The land area is about 600 000 square kilometers.
The physical geography of Oromia varies from rugged mountain ranges in the centre and north to flat grassland in most of the lowlands of the west, east and south. Similarly, there are many rivers and lakes in Oromia. Many of the rivers flow westwards into either the Blue Nile or the White Nile, and others flow eastwards to Somalia and Afar land.
The climate is as varied as the physical geography, although close to the equator (to the north of it), because of the mountain ranges, high altitudes and vegetation, the climate is very mild and favourable for habitation. Snow can be found on the mountains such as Baatu and Karra. In the medium altitudes (1800-2500 m) the climate is very mild throughout the year and one of the best. Up to 80 per cent of the population lives at this altitude and agriculture flourishes. The low altitude areas (below 1500 m) in west, south and central part are relatively warm and humid with lush tropical vegetation.

People
Population
The Oromo people are one of the most numerous in Africa. Census data are not reliable but there are probably twenty million people whose first language is Oromo and who recognise themselves as Oromo. In older literature they are often called Galla. Except for a relatively small number of arid land pastoralists who live in Kenya, all their homelands lie in Ethiopia, where they probably make up around 40 percent of the total population.

Language
The traditional Oromo language is Oromiffa, the written form of which has recently changed to use the Roman alphabet. Oromiffa was banned during the regime of Haile Selassie, and Amharic was the only language taught in schools or used in the public sphere for decades. Thus Oromos who had formal education or grew up in urban areas can speak and write Amharic, while people in the countryside who were isolated from educational campaigns have continued to speak Oromiffa. Some Oromos may also speak Tigrigna, Somali, Arabic, or Swahili, but most Oromo refugees prefer to speak Oromiffa as a matter of cultural pride. Literacy in English is limited but growing, as more people take English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Religion
Traditional Oromo religious belief centers around one God, Waaqa, who is responsible for everything that happens to human beings. As Oromos adopted Islam or Christianity, they maintained the concept of Waaqa and incorporated their beliefs into the new religions. Another large percentage of Oromos are Christian. Christians are primarily Catholic or Adventist rather than Orthodox, as the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is associated with the dominant Amhara cultural group. Within the Oromo nation, Muslims and Christians have mingled peacefully. Those Oromos whose traditions still mirror the traditions of "Waaqefataa" are less organized, less visible and therefore less understood.

Culture
The Oromo enjoy a homogeneous culture and share a common language, history and descent. Prior to its colonization, the Oromo had common political, religious and legal institutions. The Oromo people have a rich folklore, oral tradition, music and art. Although much of this culture and these traditions have survived harsh suppression, much has been forgotten and lost.

Economy
Oromia has the potential to be one of the richest countries in Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of its economy and it is the means of livelihood for more than 90 per cent of the population. There are a great variety of farm animals and crop plants. The Oromo specialise in animal husbandry through their long tradition as herdsmen. Cattle rearing (pastoralism) are still the main occupation of many Oromo.
The main crops that are merchandised are coffee and chat (a stimulant shrub). Coffee is a major foreign currency earner for Ethiopia. The plant originates in the forests of Oromia and neighbouring areas. Kafa and Limmu are considered to be the cities where coffee originated. Coffee has always been the main export product, it represents more than 60 per cent of the foreign earnings of successive Ethiopian colonial regimes.
The forests of Oromia are a source of excellent timber. Although the major portion of the forests has been destroyed since its occupation, some still remain in the south and west. However, this is threatened by mismanagement, particularly through the fast the expanding state farms and resettlement programmes. In addition to timber trees, medicinal plants and trees producing different kinds of gums, grow in abundance. Myrrh, frankincense and Arabic gum are gathered from the wild trees.
Oromia also has important mineral deposits. There are gold mines at Adola and Laga Dambi in the Sidamo and around Nejjo, Asosa and Birbir river valley in Wallagga regions. Other important minerals found in Oromia are platinum, sulphur, iron-ore, silver and salt. In 1986, the Ethiopian government announced the discovery of a new deposit of natural gas in Baale.
The hundreds of hot springs scattered over Oromia are also of economic importance. Thousands of people, including foreigners, visit these springs for their medicinal and recreational value. They are a great potential source of thermal energy. Rivers, streams and springs are plentiful. The rivers have many fails that could be used to generate electric power with little effort. The extent of this electric power could easily satisfy the power needs of Oromia and several neighbouring countries.

History
Prior to colonization
Prior to its colonization, the Oromo people lived under a remarkable and relatively complex age-grade based indigenous democratic system known as a "Gada" in which political, military and other leaders including legal experts are elected for non-renewable eight-year terms.
The Gadaa system has been undergoing changes since its inception to accommodate the development of society. Gadaa is a highly developed form of democratic life. It is a system that organises Oromo society into groups or sets of about 11 that assume different responsibilities in society every eight years.
The foundations of the Gadaa system, starting around the end of the eighteenth century, were brought about mainly by events set in motion both from inside and from outside the Oromo society. In most communities the Gadaa system declined because of the protracted wars that preceded the onset of colonization. The end of the eighteenth century was marked by constant wars and skirmishes, which gave the war leaders a mandatory power. This weakened the outstanding democratic features of the Gada system. The second important factor that contributed to the weakening of the Gada system was the coming of new beliefs and religions. Islam and Christianity have significantly affected the culture of the Oromo people.
Thirdly, the changes in the mode of living of several Oromo communities, as a result of the interaction of all these factors, were probably one of the important causes that led to the decline of the Gada system. These and other related factors led to the emergence of a new social system, which had a significant impact on the original ideals of the Gada values, which provided the Oromo nation admirable strength to fight against any external aggression and later the colonial occupation.

Colonization and Resistance
The Oromo were colonized during the last quarter of the 19th century by Abyssinia with the help of the European colonial powers of the day. The colonization process that brought about the present geographical shape of Ethiopia took the Abyssinians nearly 40 years. Present day Ethiopia is an outcome of the scramble for Africa conspired in 1884/85 in Berlin.
The successive colonial regimes banned all political, social and spiritual institutions of the Oromo and those of other colonized Peoples. During Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime (1930–1974), the only organizations allowed, under a strong vigilance, were a few self-help associations. In the beginning of the 1960s, there were three Oromo self-help associations which had their offices in Addis Ababa (Finfinne) namely the Jibat and Macha, Metta Robii, and Tulama Shawa self help associations. These three associations merged in 1963 and formed the Macha-Tulama Self-help Association.
It embraced all Oromos irrespective of religion and region and other non-Oromo nationalities who accepted the objectives of the association. The formation of the Macha-Tulama Association was a basis for the subsequent centralized leadership of the Oromo struggle for liberation.
The Oromo and other peoples, which were conquered, neither accepted the colonial hegemony nor assimilated with the colonisers. The Oromo resisted Ethiopian colonial expansion and domination both militarily and culturally in localized and scattered ways during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
Oppression was especially harsh and brutal under the imperial rule of Haile Selassie, of the Amhara ethnic group. During the reign of Haile Selassie the Oromo language was banned and speakers were privately and publicly ridiculed. The government did everything in its power to ensure the domination of the Abyssinian language and cultures over the Oromo people. Drought, famine, war and ill-conceived policies brought millions to the brink of starvation in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1974 this helped topple Haile Selassie. A self-proclaimed Marxist junta under which thousands of opponents, many of them Oromo, were purged or killed replaced his regime. Property was confiscated and defence spending spiralled.
With the overthrow of the junta in 1991, the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated the ruling government of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic (EPRDF), and joined with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in co-authoring a democratic charter. Subsequently, the TPLF, consolidated its grip of power and further continued to deny Oromos their political autonomy. Like its predecessors, the government dominated by the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front was vicious in its brutality against the Oromo people.
On may 15th 2005, Ethiopia held its third multi-party general elections, the first official result showed that the ruling party and opposition won roughly the same number of seats. This led to fraud allegations from the opposition parties. With tensions flaring high, and demonstrations where held in the capital Addis Ababa, at least 36 people died during violent clashes in which police opened fire on protesters. Mass arrests by police locked up more than 2000 people.
On June 8 2005, Dawud Ibsa, the chairman of Ethiopia's rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) said that his group would not accept the government's rigged victory in disputed general elections that where held on May 15. He warned that the conflict will widen unless the international community comes out with a very committed stance to avert this situation.
Organizations
The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is a political organization established in 1973 by Oromo nationalists to lead the national liberation struggle of the Oromo people against the Abyssinian colonial rule. The emergence of the OLF was a culmination of a century old yearns of the Oromo people to have a strong and unified national organization to lead the struggle. The fundamental objective of the Oromo liberation movement is to exercise the Oromo peoples' inalienable right to national self-determination to terminate a century of oppression and exploitation, and to form, where possible, a political union with other nations on the basis of equality, respect for mutual interests and the principle of voluntary associations. The Oromo people's quest for their right to self-determination is just and legitimate. The aspiration of the people to regain their fundamental freedom is in line with the principle enshrined in the charter of the U.N. The OLF is struggling to enable the Oromo people to realize this fundamental right and bring an end to century old oppression. OLF's commitment to this objective is based on a democratic principle, that the Oromo people are endowed with the right to decide the type of sovereignty they want to live under and the type of political union they want to form with other peoples. The change made by the Tigrean regime, that grabbed power from the Amhara rulers in 1991, is far from enabling the Oromo people and others to realize this fundamental right. It is merely a cosmetic change intended to affect the momentum of our just struggle. The OLF reiterates the struggle of the Oromo people is not directed against any people but the system of oppression. In fact the OLF and the Oromo people are committed to the noble cause of laying a foundation for union of free peoples on the basis of their freely expressed will. The Oromo Liberation Front joined UNPO on 19 December 2004.
Finally I would love to see AU base to be in peaceful country if it never changed its character to be in a country like Gambia, Gabon and Namibia where the war is so far or in developing state like Kenya ,Nigeria and South Africa.I say this because Ethiopia is undermining the peaceful policy of AU and making it as political party in its country driving its mind.
I would love to see a strong African continent, and see my fellow Africans take their rightful place within the international community! I would love it if our continent could be economically strong, able to provide the livelihoods and opportunities that its peoples deserve. But I think that an African Union is just too much too soon. Many governments are stretched just trying to keep control over all parts of their countries. I have no doubt that one day we will have an African Union, but maybe we should start by creating regional states and see how they go.

Wide spread arrest in all corners of Oromia continues unabated.

The Advocacy for the Fundamental Rights of Oromos & Others (AFRO-O) would like to inform Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch about the ongoing mass arrests and torture of hundreds of Oromos in Ethiopia at the present time. Last week, when pressed by Oromo opposition parliament members the Ethiopian prime minister admitted that his government is arresting some Oromos because they were Oromo Liberation Front members and supporters. He went even further by accusing senior opposition MPs, including the honorable Bulcha Demeksa and the honorable Dr.Marara Gudina, of being OLF leaders themselves. He further threatened them by saying that “once the government had enough evidence the culprits would be arrested and put on trial.” This in itself is a clear breach of principle of any democratic governance, for the leader of the ruling party to threaten members of parliament with arrest.The Advocacy for the Fundamental Rights of Oromos & Others has just received a list of a list of 148 Oromo men, women, students and farmers and their places of residences and locations of their detentions. We notice the fact that many individuals are brought to the famous Makelawi detention center in the capital, Addis Ababa, known to Oromos as Finfine. We strongly suspect that the reason for transporting these individuals to the Makelawi is to torture them. The Makelawi in Ethiopia is synonymous with torture to the people of Ethiopia. All the listed Oromo individuals are suspected of involvement with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). We believe that the list is a “tip of the Iceberg,” since the arrests are in the thousands according to news reaching us and are ongoing.We appeal to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to follow up and investigate this new arrests and their plight to all peace loving people around the globe. We suspect that the real reason for these new arrests is to intimidate the electorate into supporting the ruling party of Prime Minister Zenawi.

Thank you for all your work in supporting those whose rights are denied.

Sincerely,

Advocacy for the Fundamental Rights of
Oromos & Others (AFRO-O)
P.O. Box 422 Burtonsville,
MD 20866

Click here for Partial Lists of Oromos Recently Detained by the Ethiopian Regime

Source www.www.afro-o.org

Oromo MPs under Heightened Threat

In a recent parliamentary session that was broadcasted live on Ethiopian Television, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia has threatened Oromo MPs that his government is keeping tab on them since he suspects them of beingmembers of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). These MPs come mainly from the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and Oromo National Congress (ONC). The Prime Minster warned that the MPs will be presented to court once enough material is collected against them.
This threat came after the OFDM leader Bulcha Demeksa complained about widespread arrests and harassment in the Oromia region and requested for an immediate investigation. This warning by the PM has re-ignited the memory of the horrific coldblooded killing of the parliamentary-elect Tesfaye Adane (ONC), and the torture and harassment of several Oromo MPs and their families in the recent past.
On June 12, 2005 on a Sunday afternoon, Tesfaye Adane was shot dead and two of his friends wounded by Ethiopian security forces. Tesfaye was just elected as a member of the parliament in the May 2005 election by winning a landslide victory from his district in Arsi Negelle near Shashamene. One of the survivors recounted that the policemen slashed Tesfaye’s abdomen with a bayonet and
“gutted him like an animal”). (Photo Courtesy of Oromo Parliamentarians Council, OPC )).

Not long after this incident, another Oromo elected MP, Mr.Abiyot Kebede, was abducted at night by security forces and taken to a grave yard where he was made to dig his own grave. He was severely beaten there and left for dead.
The Oromo MPs, some of whom have fled the country, criticize the international community for a tragic fate befallen them. The US and the EU in particular had given them assurances and had pressured them to take up their parliamentary seats. Today, these parliamentarians are in a bitter struggle with the ruling party to protect the rights of Oromo citizens by constitutional means. Their repeated cry for solution has virtually fallen on deaf ears both at home and among the international community.
The PM’s response to the enumerable concerns of the Oromo MPs is by alleging that they are "being like Trojan horses for the OLF".
The two leading Oromo opposition leaders in the parliament Dr. Merara Gudina of ONC and Mr. Bulcha Demeksa are very wary of and growing restive over the recent wave of mass arrest in Oromia region. They reported to the Associated Press that over 107 Oromos from Western and West Central Oromia were arbitrarily arrested in just two months.
Currently, over 40,000 Oromo citizens described by the government as being “OLF elements and sympathizers” are in prison. Some are kept in without trial for over 10 years and their age ranges from 10 to 85years.

The Oromo Parliamentarians Council, OPC is struggling to document the condition of the tiny fraction of these largely inaccessible detainees and those who dyed of abuse while in prison.

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Ethiopia>>Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)

Military Communique’

22 October 2007 — Battles continued for a second day yesterday near Wardheer in Ogaden with TPLF regime casualties rising to over 250 killed and an unconfirmed number wounded. 12 Military vehicles which had been part of a TPLF regime counter offensive and dispatched from Qabri-Dahar were destroyed. Thus far, 13 TPLF regime officers including a Colonel and a Captain have been killed in battles around Wardheer during the last two days. The ONLF has in its possession the military ID’s of many of those officers. ONLF casualties have been light given the scope of the engagements.

The TPLF regime counter-offensive against ONLF forces began at mid-day yesterday 21st October with TPLF regime troops attacking ONLF forces at 5 different locations near Wardheer. The counter-offensive involved nearly 1,500 TPLF regime troops in the theater.

ONLF forces have repulsed the counter offensive and have now surrounded a large number of TPLF regime troops in the area near Wardheer. These surrounded troops are being urged to surrender with guarantees that they will not be harmed if they do so.

Any surrendering troops who wish to join the armed forces of organizations allied to the ONLF such as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Sidama Liberation Front (SLF) or Ethiopian Peoples Patriotic Front (EPPF) will be transferred to those organizations.

Battles near Wardheer are expected to continue in the coming days and the ONLF will provide further information as appropriate.

Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) Military Operations Command Centre (MOCC)

OGADEN

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Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)

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Related countries :

Ethiopia :

• Ethiopia dismisses Ogaden rebels’ claim of killing 450 troops
• Ogaden rebels allege killing 140 Ethiopian troops

Ethiopian rebels claim killing 140 government troops

NAIROBI: Ethiopian rebels on Sunday claimed they had killed at least 140 government troops in an attack in the Ogaden region, where the army is carrying out a crackdown. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement that almost 1,000 of its fighters attacked Ethiopian troops near Wardheer early Saturday, killing more than 140 troops, with "many more wounded". Wardheer is about 650 km southeast of Addis Ababa. "Thousands of rounds of ammunition and military hardware, including communications equipment, were captured by ONLF forces during the operation," it added. The army officers were escorting Abay Tsehaye, a senior official in the Ethiopian ruling party, when they came under attack. "Abay Tsehaye and a few senior officers escaped by helicopter after all land routes out of the area were blocked by ONLF forces," it said. It was impossible to confirm the claims. Journalists and aid workers are blocked from visiting the area, where the military is battling insurgents. The rebels said the attack was "a direct response" to the burning of a village, Caado, and "abuses" of people in the Wardheer area by Ethiopian troops, the ONFL said. The army launched a crackdown on the region, which is about the same size as Britain and has a population of about four million, following an attack by the ONLF against a Chinese oil venture in April that left 77 people dead. The barren Ogaden region has long been extremely poor, but the discovery of gas and oil has brought new hopes of wealth as well as new causes of conflict.

Peoples right, individual right, democracy and self-determination

Ibsaa Guutama, October 2007

Ibsaa Guutama is a member of the generation that drew the first
Political program of the OLF.

Overview

Peoples right, individual right, democracy and self-determination from Oromo perspective OverviewPeoples rights, individual rights, democratic rule and self determination are phrases the Habashaa toy with but never comfortable with their implications. Currently these concepts are being remolded in Habashaa elite class workshops to reshape, redefine and sell them to Habashaa and world community markets. It must be stated at the outset that what the Oromo demands is not what they call “group right” but people’s independence. For them it is a new tactic being coined to pave the way towards their strategy for sparing the empire from crumbling.

The Oromo are elegant and charming as individuals. They are intelligent and efficient in their performances. They are subjected to racist slurs and abuse because of their national origin not their individual appearances. To stop indiscriminate killings among his people the emperor once ruled “do not kill human beings even if it were a Gaallaa (Oromo). He had doubts if any body would accept the Oromo as human beings. So he has to add the contemptible phrase “even the Gaallaa” to his proclamation. This being the basic outlook of the colonizer they now want the Oromo to accept their deceptive presentation of rights and democracy ignoring the basic issue of peoples rights to self determination.

Oromo had been voicing their grievances to the world and to all concerned from the time they were colonized. In 1974 there was a great commotion in Oromo society concerning land holding system. Spontaneous uprising from all corners scared the colonial system. A revolution was in the setting. It was then that a junta came in to save the empire passing itself for friend of the downtrodden. To check momentum of the revolution, the junta said, I have overthrown the monarchical system for you; it also started to recognize certain rights for nations and nationalities in the empire. But already enough damage has been done to the empire, to return to the past was a lost case even if they vow to the forty four tabernacles.

In the past much has been done by the colonizer to dehumanize and humiliate the Oromo. Millions were massacred, thousands sold into slavery and the remaining made to grind grain for colonial army and the bureaucracy, to cut fodder for pack animals, build fences and roads, and fetch water from down hills for their on top hill garrisons. Many were also used as pack animals to carry loads for their endless campaigns. Their leaders were all wiped out or taken to prisons on Habashaa Mountains never to return to their country. Their language culture and tradition were suppressed. It was total genocide, affecting life, culture and tradition. That was why Oromo movements remained stunted and limited only to occasional scattered spontaneous uprisings for a century. The present Habashaa contempt and arrogance emanates from that history of aggression.

The Oromo are fast learners. With fast developing world Habashaa colonial administration could not sustain its system with mediocre members of its nobility alone. It was why they started to open their schools for few individuals from the colonies. That set ajar a window for the Oromo to look out through. After few years of education some were recruited into the system. Out of them many rose to high ranks in the civil administration and the army. Most of them evolved into Habashaa while very few remained attached to their people. Because of them the colonial system started to get porous.

Each passing day information started to involuntarily trickle to the down trodden through the fingers of the colonial masters. That led to Oromo awakening and the formation of social and political movements. The vanguard organization, Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was born out of those movements and declared its political program of 1974. In it, it vowed to take the people's kaayyoo, the inspiration that guides the nation to a victorious goal, to the finish line. Oromo shade their blood in thousands for that purpose. That is why the struggle cannot be stopped till victory.

Since then several papers were presented, conferences conducted, interviews made, positions declared, diplomatic campaigns and battles waged. Yet the colonizer and those who lived as parasites on the Oromo had failed to understand the essence of what they were being told. Oromiyaa is not Ethiopia but a colony of Ethiopia. From Raayyaa to Mooyyaale and From Begii to Jaarsoo it is one country mutilated by the colonizer. There are few pockets of indigenous peoples with their own territory, within Oromiyaa. Like any country in the world there are people who came from outside Oromiyaa to work and live, in addition to remnants of the old colonial army and the active occupying force of the present day.

Neighbors of Oromo have smaller population count when compared to Oromiyaa. Many feel deep in their hearts that Oromo cause amounts to their own. On the other hand there are few elites from those neighbors as there are from Oromiyaa who collaborate with the colonizer and try to stand on the way of Oromo and their own peoples’ independence. Among those that collaborate with the oppressors Oromiyaans are the majority. Among the oppressed we have said Oromiyaans are also the majority. Free Oromiyaa will deny the common oppressor majority of such collaborators. Therefore relief and liberty will be for all. To liberate Oromiyaa means to liberate majority people and land of the region. That is why we say Oromo independence would be a guarantee for freedom and stability for the whole region.
The cruelty of Habashaa rulers has been escalating with every passing regime. Unless the victimized stand together, the repression and massacre will continue with more zeal and subtlety by the new greedy generation of the colonizer. People of the south including Oromiyaa had lived the life of second class citizens. Few are benefiting for selling their national interest to the rulers. These sellouts are still conspiring with the colonizer on how to maintain the status quo, for they have established themselves as beneficiaries. Oromiyaa is a multi-religious society.

Oromo as a nation have a centrist temperament. But the Habashaa and their galtuu want to scare the West by placing it on the side of Islamic World in the ongoing “war of cultures”. However that will not stop the Oromo from their legitimate struggle. Waaqeffataa, Moslem and Christians will move hand in hand to freedom. Oromo is leading a life of terror. To fight against it is to satisfy no other interest but their own. Therefore Oromo is a natural ally for all antiterror warriors, not to cover own folly but for survival of the nation.

They also try to scare the masses with negative attributes about free Oromiyaa. Oromiyaa and the southern states had depended on each other, way before they fell under colonialism. Free Oromiyaa will only bring freedom to the south. Like they have fallen together they have to strive to rise together; nothing should jeopardize these long standing cordial relations. They have more chance to a political union with each other through struggle than with their tormenting colonizer. Another scare crow is big power support for the oppressor. But the struggle is between local oppressor and the oppressed and there is no logic for big powers to stand against people and human rights and individual liberties beyond their boarders. The purpose of the struggle is to free Oromiyaa and live in peace under the rule of law and democratic values. As long as one feels the pain and has the determination to be free, there is no excuse not to standup against the reign of terror however colossal and however protracted it may be.

The Oromo love humanity. They are known by their neighbors as kind hearted always willing to help, even to raise children of those in difficulty irrespective of their race or creed. Therefore the safety of those already living in Oromiyaa with good standing cannot be doubted. Oromiyaa has great potential to provide job for its good neighbors. Unlike its colonizers that had never known other than dictatorship the Oromo had the most democratic and egalitarian system when it was a free people. Still that heritage is visible in present day Oromo tendencies. For all who live in Oromiyaa it would be better to struggle for free and democratic Oromiyaa with the Oromo rather than lamenting for a dying colonial system. The colonizer must be humbled and shown the point of contention. Then only could all tackle in unison the problem facing them as good neighbors whose people are going to live side by side for eternity.

Oromo view

The Oromo believe that it is long overdue for Oromiyaa not to be decolonized and for the empire state not to be dismantled. All empires had phased out in that way and it cannot be different for Ethiopia. No conspiracy can stop the wheel of history that has started rolling. Any dialogue with the Oromo by aliens should be on how to affect this smoothly. Other discourses being conducted by Ethiopians is not something that independent minded Oromo could tolerate as a piece of news let alone taking part in them. Their discussions revolve around how they could continue exploiting resources of Oromiyaa and cheap Oromo labor not how to make peace with the Oromo. If Oromiyaa is taken out of their list they will remain with nothing to fight for.

To justify their position they manufacture lies about the nature of the Ethiopian empire and try to feed it to their naïve followers and the international community. They have enrolled some galtuu, equivalent to Imperial French “évolué” in their ranks to claim being multinational. This is part of their deception to their people and the world, as for the truth, they are all “nitsuhi” (original) and naturalized Habashaa.

The Habashaa masses had come for years being fed with lies by the ruling class. They have never questioned the truth of what they say but accepted them with religious fervor. For that reason they have internalized all the lies about their origin, their deeds, their mission, their religion, their history etc. Even now in the age of information technology they are trying to make them believe that the Ethiopian empire is eternal. The demand for independence by some from their “qinyi gizat” (colonies) is an evil machination of the TPLF to destroy the eternal formation. Because they themselves have started to believe in the lies they manufactured they are not able to see the other side of the spectrum that is on the verge of destroying them.

Following their archaic line of thinking Habashaa elites have already pushed aside the Oromo question and started to discuss about group rights versus individual rights. Group for all we know are like sets concerning religion, gender, age classes, gays, special interests, etc. These reactionaries want to consider nations as one of the groups within their system. They do not want to see that a nation like Oromo contains all those groups. They take themselves as all inclusive and so no need for an entity that claims what they claim. For any right to be realized they lay as prerequisite removing Tigree from power. Power struggle between Tigree and Amaara is like struggle between two parties within the same system. For international consumption both try to look inclusive while in reality they are the most exclusives groups in the Horn. Oromo as a people has never been their partner when that happened they think it will be their end.

For the Oromo change of colonial government does not answer their questions. Any government that sits on the throne of the empire state is the institution Oromo address their demands to. Oromo does not contest the seat of Habashaa power; it rather demands independence from it. For a keen observer the convalescing members of the fallen class are not of the generation of information age but the reincarnation of Minilik’s father Nafxanyaa. For the Oromo whether Amaara or Tigree come to power it makes no difference as far as the empire state is in tact.

The incumbent government is at least wiser than all their past rulers in realizing the major problems that are threatening the existence of the empire state. It recognizes the relation of the colonies with the empire state. It is on that understanding that it manufactured its laws and built all tools of oppression to plunder Oromiyaa fast instead of wasting time trying to justify the unjustifiable for independence of the colony is inevitable. Not only that, it also recognizes that the heirs of the fallen class will be mismatch if they are included in the exploit. So it preferred to run it alone until the time to pull back together to Habashaa land comes. But like its hero Yohannis IV it has started to go beyond territories under its control and make war with a neighbor, this time Somalia. That may deny it pulling back in one piece.

From its historical nature and the reality of its existence it is difficult for the present regime to behave otherwise. To deliver solution to a democratic question is outside its scope. Yet it has recognized this short fall and devised tactics to temporarily divert the regional and international negative disposition generated by its nature. Having done so, it did not stop imprisoning, kidnapping and torturing the Oromo in the most insidious way. Who cares for local terror as long as it is a member of international anti-terrorist league?

Members of the fallen class and their collaborators have nostalgia for their past. As a result they do not want to accept the right of the Oromo to national self determination. They never hide that they are allergic even to provisions like article 39 of constitution of the present regime that was provided with intention to lull the colonies. They see no virtue but disaster in it. Every thing done to pacify the people must be erased and the emperor’s model of governance reinstituted with iron hand. They are warning their people that without their dependencies life will not be as rosy as it used to be.

In the course of Oromo struggle the issues of peoples right, individual right, democracy and self determination, had been raised and resolved among Oromo revolutionaries. These were the major elements of Oromo debate in the process of the liberation movement. It was after getting clear understanding of their relation to Oromo struggle that the political program of the OLF was drawn. The rank and file members of the organization had common understanding on these issues before they came out to lay down their lives for kaayyoo of the nation. Similar debates were going on in Habashaa camps but they saw no other solution other than domination. Instead of trying to understand the issue from Oromo point of view diversionary views are being forwarded to mislead the general public on the concept of individual and peoples rights. That is what we refute here.

The Oromo see themselves as one of the nations that fall victim to a phenomenon known as the scramble for Africa. Before that it had a different Political system from the colonizer. It was a democratic system nourished by the egalitarian Gadaa principle. As a separate people from the Habashaa and as a colony their demand for liberation is legitimate. The world body had ruled that all colonies be freed. The Absinian territory and Oromiya are distinctly apart. Even the founder of the empire, Minilik II used to call himself “Emperor of Ethiopia and the Gaallaa countries”. It is these later ones that demand from them to be let free. Even if international law is found not to be adequate to cover the liberation of Oromiyaa it is up to Oromo revolutionaries to fill the gap.

Because of its skin color and its territorial proximity, the colonizer is yet trying to pass for being the same people with the others. Its supporters are also turning deaf ears to the demand for independence of Oromiyaa. They preferred it to continue as is as long as there was no profound challenge to it. The Oromo is a peace loving egalitarian society. Its reluctance to use organized violence for over a century had been taken as consent to its position of servitude. But the Oromo has never willingly submitted to Habashaa rule.

The colonizers are from a minority group that takes, losing power, as an end to its very existence. Never in their history had they treated their own people as equals let alone those of their colonies that they consider as their property. Yet their people had benefited from the colonial system while the others totally lost. Comparing the material life of Habashaa peasants with those of the colonies to say they are of the same status is forgetting the psychological dominance their chauvinist propaganda earned for the first. The poverty in the motherland cannot be justified for the continuation of colonial rule over Oromiya. Oromiyaa had paid more than it produced. It was up to the first warlords to develop their country instead of piling their exploit in foreign land and foreign luxury. They had more years to develop their kingdom than Tigree they despise and no use now to envy when they see how TPLF developed Tigray within two decades.

Many chances of easing the Oromo problem were overlooked in the past. The Oromo for the first time was coaxed in 1991 to join Habashaa forces to find solution for the perennial political problems that are destabilizing the region. The Transitional Charter could have helped as an instrument to decolonize the empire and restoring freedom to the colonial peoples. By it trust could have been built and many of the nations and nationalities given the opportunity to choose from independence and some sort of voluntary political union.

But Habashaa autocracy has shown during the exercise of transition administration in 1991/92 that they are not willing to give up power over the empire and let Oromiyaa decide its own fate. That has left an unforgettable lesson that no democratic outcome from relation with them could be expected at any time. It is only those who fail to learn from history that expects Habashaa to democratize.

As a nation they had never had faith in democracy. For Tigrawayi this is the only chance to stay in power. With democracy they remain minority. Even in independent Habashaa they remain the juniors unless they find other way out. That is why Oromiyaa has to suffer.

The only solution for the Oromo is to continue its struggle with all available means it could muster. To paint such struggle as irrelevant, the present regime has “recognized the right of nations to national self determination” in its constitution. But that is an empty word. People are being harassed and executed, allegedly for thinking to be free. Ethiopianist parties legally registered to compete for powers are not spared let alone those who try to break away. In such stifling atmosphere a peaceful struggle for independence is far fetched. Violence initiated by those in power had turned victims into rebels using the same means to counter them.

On the other hand the vocal Amaara which had reminiscence for past glory of the emperor’s days is taking the self-determination provision as a machination to undermine the sanctity of Ethiopia. They recognize no nation in the empire except Habashaa. The others are simply gosa (ethnic) groups. They call the present arrangement as gosa federalism and gosa regional formation. It is doubtful if they can define what they meant by “gosa” in the Ethiopian context. Gosa is an Oromo word for which the Habashaa have no equivalent.

These are persons that glorify Imperial symbols that were used the great massacre of the Oromo and the leaders that lead the genocide. Be it the symbols or the leaders remind the Oromo of the bad days they do not want to remember. Glorifying such symbols and leaders, amounts to a re-declaration of war and widening of the gap that divides them.

The Ethiopian constitution, for the Oromo is another colonial law.

They were not invited as a nation in its making. Even legitimate Oromo organizations like OLF were intentionally thrown out so that they will have no influence on it. Therefore Oromo demands are not based on it but on their own birth right and international law. It is also not a question of secession. It has never willingly become part of Habashaa state. They were conquered by force and obey colonial law not because it is fair but because the barrel of the gun is behind it. Therefore what Oromo demand is restoration of their independence. If existing human law is not enough to cover a wronged situation it cannot be said the situation has to remain as it is but natural law has to set in to correct it. That is when the oppressed peoples are justified to use any means at their disposal to free themselves.

The difference between the present regime and the fallen class is that it recognizes the existence of different peoples in the empire and that Ethiopia as it is today can count a history of only a century. On the other hand the other takes present day Ethiopia as an entity that had been there for three thousand years. But let alone present day Ethiopia there is no proof that the Habashaa state centered at Axum existed for a millennium. Their fiction has given face saving device for those who through them want to interfere in the Affairs of the region.

It is only free Oromiyaa that can deal with any party that want relation with it. Otherwise any dealing would be colonial and unfair for the people. It will be an insult and preposterous for any non Oromo to tell others what is good for the Oromo. It is only the Oromo that has the right to choose what is suiting for it.

Archaic colonialist viewAbove we have presented some of their views in the course of discussing Oromo view on the topic. For them Oromo are people that live in different provinces (Xaqilaayi Gizaat) demarcated by the Crown. There is no state called Oromiyaa. The population is scattered over several provinces and have no common territory. In between there are many minorities that need protection from them. All provinces are administrative regions of the Habashaa state. In the past they were not equally treated. There were human right abuses in the southern provinces and the Gaallaa provinces.

For them what is needed now is to halt those abuses. The right to develop their cultures and languages will be protected by law. But they have to adopt Amharic as the national language. As long as Tigree is in power, human right abuse and dividing the country on ethnic line will not stop. Therefore Tigreans government must first be removed and be replaced by “forces of unity” (Amaara). The protection of rights will then follow. The claim that the Oromo was abused is taken out of proportion.

They say like all Ethiopians Oromo are victims of dictatorial regime. There are people from Tigree, Amaara and other tribes in prison victimized by Mallas. Among the persons they mentioned are those arraigned for corruption and those who attempted to unlawfully topple the legal government. From their own words they were only the Oromo who were in prison because of their national origin and their position on Ethiopian state. But they want to gloss over it so that the fundamental differences are not observed. Every Ethiopian has the right to work and live where ever he/she likes, they say. Ethiopia, Oromiyaa included is for all Ethiopians. Secessionist like the OLF had to be destroyed before they destroy the empire.

They say our forefathers had left us this country with great sacrifice, spilling their blood and breaking their bones. Therefore we their children have the trust to maintain it and pass it to the next generation. There is nothing to regret about and apologize for past deeds. Who ever feel victimized by what was committed to acquire this land for us deserved it. It was a civilizing mission and has achieved its goal. What is expected is that all be thankful for our change of heart and extend human right protection to them as well. Their ethnic language and culture can be developed as long as it is not detrimental to the over all Habashaa Christian culture. For them to unite and challenge our authority must be considered blasphemous.

We are opening our door for them individually to live as equals with the right to elect and be elected based on one man one vote principle. Their individual and civil liberties shall be protected in the framework of Habashaa sovereignty. All symbols of Ethiopian unity and valor had to be given primacy by all. All utensils, clothing, furniture, embroideries etc. must curry the green yellow and red Habashaa colors to remind us our heritage at all times.

Thus we see those color every where as if they were discovered only yester day. For the smart ones it has turned to be a big business and for the naïve a reminiscence for lamentation. That is how they think. They had made themselves believe that they are the natural selection to rule over all peoples in the Horn. They want to continue living without apologizing for past genocide and want others to trust and continue to live with them with minor adjustments. All their leaders from Teedros to the present had made Oromo blood to flow like river. For them these are their icons. Their position is developed from contempt for peoples of the colonies, arrogance, greed and ignorance. Suffice to listen to their nauseating rhetoric on how astray they have gone from demands of the time. They seem comfortable to live in dream of the past in this era of globalization. The Russian and Yugoslav empires had crumbled in front of their eyes but they have no capacity to relate it to their own situation.

Conclusion

The general assembly of the United Nations is composed of representatives who in most cases want to maintain the status quo. The far sighted and democratically oriented get through bills with so many modifications that make them vague and short of their targets. Therefore whatever comes out of there cannot be expected to fully satisfy the needs of peace and liberty. Even then the articles cited at the top express the inner feelings of law makers with good intentions. Seen from that angle the solution to solve Oromo question can be found not in the meager international law but in Oromo determination.

The colonizers do not want to compromise their archaic desire to rule the world. Except for the deceptive attempt made by a group to include persons and parties in a transitional arrangement no group from Habashaa restoration movement has ever approached the Oromo with an offer. No one of them had shown remorse and apologized for the destruction of Oromo culture and institutions and the mass genocide that their forefathers had committed on the colonial people. For an African to eat with descendents of his relatives’ killer is a curse that cannot be absolved in a normal way. They know that but their contempt for the peoples did not make them to bother to absolve themselves from past criminal acts. To praise and idolize those leaders that cut limbs, breasts; sold them into slavery and performed more dehumanizing and humiliating acts on the Oromo is no different from participating directly in those acts. To add insult to injury they want the present generation to say “bravo!” to what happened to their ancestors and appreciate how present generation of those murderers had become kindhearted to them. Yes, they now use efficient and effective instruments, yet they still torture, kill and humiliate the Oromo.

In the past they were able to keep the Oromo masses in darkness and imposed their will by threats and terror. Now it is information age. The same model of governance cannot continue. For them, to adjust to modernity will take time. The consequence of that will be far reaching. Nothing short of the realization of national self determination will satisfy the Oromo. That is what we call peoples right. Individual rights and civil liberties will be protected by the people to whom the individuals belong. It is not the colonizer who had never had an idea of democratic practices and the rule of law that should tell the Oromo how to maintain its home.

As a peace loving people the Oromo prefer to reach their goal by peaceful means. But because their adversary is aggressive they are being pushed to the corner. In the absence of cooperation towards common understanding by the other parties, they will be left with no options than fight back hard. The Oromo are ready to talk to any party that recognizes them as an entity by their own right. It also expects an apology from the present generation of the invaders for all the wrongs done to them by their predecessors. That will conclude the chapter on agony of the region and a new beginning as good neighbors will commence. If neighbors cooperate there is a greater world than Oromiyaa to win in this global world. Otherwise all that blood was not shade in vain. But an oath was taken to fulfill the kaayyoo.

If it cannot live as a nation it is being proposed that the Oromo live as individual galtuu of the Habashaa. With the very thought creating local tension could result in common destruction. Oromiyaa if free is sure to be a model for democracy in the world. The rule of law, human rights and civil liberties shall be observed more developed than during the Gadaa period. If that fails there will be no stop to Oromo struggle until victory. It could demand great sacrifice and take years, be as it may, there will be no more submission to the life of humiliation and abuse as a people.

Honor and glory for the fallen heroines and heroes; liberty equality and freedom for the living and nagaa and araaraa for the Ayyaanaa of our forefathers!

Ibsaa Guutama, October 2007

Ethiopian president calls for military buildup to counter Eritrea

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: Ethiopia's president called on lawmakers Monday to boost the country's military in the face of what he called a growing threat from neighbor and longtime rival Eritrea.
The speech, at the beginning of a parliament session and the end of Girma Woldegiorgis' six-year term in the ceremonial post of president, included repeated calls on Eritrea to commit to peace or face the Ethiopian army. Girma repeated Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's declaration, made in June, that Ethiopia would defend itself if provoked by Eritrea.
"We have been forced to make preparations to defend ourselves against any aggression," Girma said. "We have also undertaken activities to pre-empt the extremist forces which do the bidding of the Eritrean regime."
"The government will present to the House a number of other bills specifically aimed at enhancing the capacity of our security and especially our defense forces," Girma said.
Last month, Ethiopia said it was considering terminating a peace agreement with its rival Eritrea, accusing its neighbor of breaching the terms of the deal that ended a bitter and bloody border war almost seven years ago.
The neighbors have repeatedly accused each other of not honoring the 2000 peace deal and are backing rival sides in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, where fighting has seen thousands of civilians die this year. Ethiopia also accuses Eritrea of fomenting terrorist acts in Ethiopia and of supporting Ethiopian rebels fighting for greater autonomy in eastern Ethiopia.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war, but the border between the two was never formally demarcated. A border war that erupted in 1998 claimed tens of thousands of lives in two of the world's poorest countries.
Monday, Girma told some 500 legislators the Ethiopian government's efforts at initiating dialogue with Eritrea had been repeatedly rebuffed.
"Instead of focusing on improving its own worsening domestic situation, the Eritrean government is continuing its agenda of interference in the internal affairs of neighboring countries, such as the Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia," he said. "Moreover, it has consistently expressed its intention to instigate war with Ethiopia."
Parliament plans to elect a new president — or perhaps to re-elect Girma — on Tuesday. Former President Negaso Gidada, who was president from 1995 to 2000, likened the job to the role played by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Candidates for the post have not been publicly announced.

Mujahideen In Somalia Kill Nine Ethiopian Soldiers; Assassinate Minister of Defense

Youth Islamic Movement Report Killing 9 Ethiopian Soldiers By Detonating A Mine Field

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful

All praise be to Allah, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds. Peace and prayer be upon our prophet, Muhammad, his family, and his companions.

Your Mujahideen brothers from the Youth Islamic Movement, blasted a field of mines targeting the infantry Ethiopian troops on Thursday morning 22 of Ramadan 1428 corresponding to October 4, 2007. This was done in the Suuq al Mawashi, (Cattle Market) area, the doorway to the northern capital. The operation resulted in the death of 9 Ethiopian soldiers and injured a number of others according to the preliminary information, and the harvest is on the rise. So O Allah, guide the shots, and make our feet steadfast and to Allah is all praise and thanks.

Youth Islamic Movement Claim Responsibility for Assassination of the Secretary of Defense

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful

All praise be to Allah, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds. Peace and prayer be upon our prophet, Muhammad, his family, and his companions.

Your Mujahideen brothers from the Youth Islamic Movement, by the grace of Allah, assassinates on Saturday 24 of Ramadan 1428 corresponding to October 6, 2007, the Secretary of Defense in the Wadajer district department by the name of Ahmed Hareed, who was the supervisor of the operations of kidnapping and arresting the Mujahideen in the area. So to hell he went and what an evil abode that it! And all praise is to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds,

And your brothers of the Youth Mujahideen Movement are on their way, going forth in Jihad against the occupiers and disbelievers so that the word of Allah is the highest and there is no more fitnah on earth and the religion is solely for Allah.

Allah is the greatest! Allah is the greatest! Allah is the greatest!

Your brothers,
Youth Islamic Movement
25 Ramadan 1428
October 8, 2007

Translation Copyright © Jihad Unspun 2007

Sorce: www.jihadunspun.com

At least 10 killed as Somaliland, Puntland fight over town

MOGADISHU (AFP) — At least 10 people were killed Monday in heavy fighting between forces from the breakaway states of Somaliland and Puntland over a disputed town on their border, military sources said.

The fighting, which lasted for more than hour and involved exchanges of heavy artillery fire, took place in and around Las Ano, a town near the Ethiopian border claimed by both Puntland and Somaliland.

A Puntland military commander on the frontline said Somaliland forces had started the hostilities.

"They have attacked our bases today, using heavy weapons and we are still in defensive positions in the Las Anod area," Ahmed Bile told AFP by phone.

"I can't tell you the exact number of people killed in fighting today but I'm sure that more than 10 people were killed," he added.

Speaking from Hargeysa, which has been designated the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, a military commander from the opposing side said his forces had taken control of the town.

"Our forces are winning this war, we have the upper hand. Puntland forces have been provoking Somaliland for a long time but this time they lost. Our forces are now controlling Las Ano," Abdi Jamal told AFP.

"We are getting information that they are reinforcing but we are ready to defeat them," he added.

A local tribal elder said at least nine people were killed in the fighting and several others wounded.

"So far we have seen nine dead bodies inside the town. They are from both sides," said Hashi Omar Diriye, an elder from Las Ano whose clan is not involved in the fighting.

"We have also been told that three other bodies are lying on the outskirts of the town. Several other injured people were brought in," he added.

A relative calm had returned to the disputed town by the end of the afternoon but sporadic artillery fire could still be heard, according to witnesses.

"Now one side is inside the town and the other is outside. They are regrouping and we fear the fighting might continue," he told AFP.

The elder added that he and other elders in Las Ano had set up a committee to protect civilians inside the town.

In a statement, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on Somaliland to release reporter Ahmed Aadan Dhere, a correspondent of privately-owned Haatuf newspaper, who was arrested four days ago in Berbera township.

"The Somaliland authorities have a tendency to arrest journalists whenever they think it is in their interest, but if media issues are involved, this constitutes a serious violation of democratic standards," RSF said in a statement.

"In this particular case, Dhere is the victim of a conflict between a local politician and the central government. He obviously must be freed at once," the statement said.

Somaliland broke away from greater Somalia in 1991, months after the overthrow of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. It has since enjoyed relative prosperity but failed to secure recognition as an independent state.

Neighbouring Puntland declared itself autonomous from the rest of Somalia in August 1998 under the leadership of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the current president of the Somali interim government.

Eritrea calls on UN to solve border crisis, warns of Ethiopian attack

ASMARA (AFP) — Eritrea urged the United Nations to force its arch-foe Ethiopia urgently to implement a border ruling, warning it feared Addis Ababa was preparing to resume war, in a letter published Friday.
In the letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said he believed that Ethiopian threats to scrap the Algiers peace deal that ended their bloody 1998-2000 border war were a precursor to an attack.
"Ethiopia seems to be planning to use its unlawful attempt at renunciation of the Algiers Agreements as a precursor for initiation of renewed hostilities," read the letter, dated Thursday but posted on the Eritrean information ministry website Friday.
Ethiopia is already engaged in hostile acts against Eritrea, said the letter, also addressed to UN Security Council members, the European Union (EU) and witnesses of the original peace deal.
"It is a cardinal principle of international law that forcible occupation of the territory of another state is an act of aggression and Ethiopia's stationing of troops north of the recognised international boundary falls squarely within that category," Osman added.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin said Addis Ababa is mulling "legal and peaceful options, including terminating the agreements or suspending their operation in whole or in part," charging its neighbour with breaching the pact and supporting "terrorism".
The exchanges are the latest in a string of heated remarks between the two countries, which have choked efforts to implement the 2000 peace deal.
Early this month, a meeting of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) meeting in The Hague, seen as a last-ditch attempt to break the frontier deadlock, ended in failure.
The UN-appointed border panel will dissolve in November and the frontier will be fixed on maps if no progress has been made by then.
An EEBC ruling to fix the countries' border granted the flashpoint town of Badme that started the 1998 war to Eritrea. But Addis Ababa wants the border ruling revised, saying it splits families.
"Eritrea urges the UN Security Council to shoulder its legal, moral and security responsibilities and take appropriate action to enforce the decision of the EEBC to stem Ethiopia's reckless game," Osman said.

Eritrea and Ethiopia in war of words over disputed border

Story by Reuters Publication Date: 9/27/2007
Eritrea maintains its demand that Ethiopia implement a border ruling agreed under a pact to end their 1998-2000 war, a minister said today after Ethiopia threatened to call off the peace agreement.
In a letter to Eritrea’s Foreign Minister yesterday, Ethiopia accused Asmara of violating the deal on several fronts including coordinating “terrorist activity”.
Addis Ababa said as a result it was considering terminating or suspending all or part the Algiers agreement that ended the two-year border conflict that killed 70,000 people.
Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu said Asmara had no knowledge of any such letter and that it was Ethiopia’s concern.
“That’s not our business. It’s up to them,” he told Reuters by telephone.
“What we know is there has been a legal verdict and what we want is the implementation of that. No more, no less.”
Relations between the Horn of Africa neighbours plummeted when Ethiopia initially rejected a 2002 ruling by an independent border commission, despite agreeing beforehand to accept whatever the commission ruled as final and binding.
Earlier this month, Ethiopia said its soldiers were just metres (yards) apart from Eritrean troops who moved into what is supposed to be a neutral buffer zone.
Analysts and diplomats say neither country wants to go to war, in spite of the inflammatory rhetoric on both sides. But they worry that an unplanned skirmish could trigger conflict.
The two countries are on opposite sides of the conflict in Somalia, with Ethiopia backing the government and Eritrea Islamists forced out of Mogadishu in December.
Eritrea denies Ethiopia’s allegations of support for armed groups. This month, it accused Ethiopia of scuppering demarcation talks on their 1,000 km frontier. Abdu ruled out any dialogue.
“There was not, there is not and there will not be any direct communication between us,” he said.
The Algiers pact said both sides would have to abide by an independent ruling over the frontier, which has never been implemented since Ethiopia initially rejected it when it was made in April 2002.
Eritrean earlier this month accused Ethiopia of sinking talks at The Hague to push the deal forward.

Challenges Facing the OLF: A Call for Action

Since its establishment in 1973, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has been leading a multifaceted struggle against tyranny, oppression and prejudice unleashed against the Oromo people by Ethiopian imperial state. Through its pragmatic political program and dedication of its members, the organization has not just won the hearts and minds of the Oromo people; it has also fundamentally changed the socio-political landscape of the Eastern African region. Through out these long years of struggle, OLF has gone through several crisis triggered by internal and external factors. Most of the internal factors that precipitated the crisis have been caused by continuous "factionalization" of the leadership that hampered a smooth and decisive march towards achieving its stated objectives.

In these writers' views, currently, as it happened in the past, the OLF is facing some serious challenges that are shaking the confidence of the Oromo people as well as the international community that awaits to see a better change in the region. This challenge, this writer believes, primarily resulted from "inactive" or "dormant" conditions of the organization and its inability to score palpable political and military gains. This dormancy and lack of practical action has sent a chilling effect among the Oromo populace while it has led the international community to undermine OLF's commitment to its stated goals.

The increasing awareness of the international community regarding the oppression of the Oromo people has offered OLF a great opportunity to score diplomatic and political victory. OLF has to a limited extent exploited this opportunity, but its advance in the battle front is significantly reduced. . Being a politico-military organization, a meaningful military activity is crucial not only to weaken the enemy that chose war but also to boost the moral of its supporters. Thus far, the OLF has miserably failed to live up to the expectation of its supporters and foreign observers . For the past several years the military activities of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has been diminishing to the level where some critics question even its existence. Although this writer has tangible evidence as to the presence of a viable OLA that can be mobilized at any time, its inactivity has negative effect on the Oromo movement. The puzzling dormancy at the battle front in the face of a viable army is the major point of criticism that the OLF leadership has not responded to. As a result, OLF is currently facing mounting internal and external challenges.

Internal Challenges
Internally the OLF has been challenged by factions that have broken away from it at different times. Almost all the new factions wind up adapting a nearly identical political agenda. While the cause of the split is mainly internal power struggle, the broken away factions recount all the leadership failures of the organization including the times they were a part of it. Some points they present as a cause for their break away include the alleged disbanding of the OLA, completely forgetting that these faction where at different levels of the political and military leadership at that time. Nevertheless, although these factions are not getting much acceptance from the public, they are spreading pessimistic and discouraging spirit within the Oromo society. The rise of pessimism among the Oromo population, specifically those who live the diasporas is evident from reduced participation in Oromo affairs including community meetings, political participation, etc. This tendency will gradually affect OLF's ability to rely on its Diaspora base for much needed financial support. Therefore, military victory in the field and change of the current status quo will bring back optimism to the people and discourage the factions from waging senseless propaganda.

External Challenges
The external challenges that the OLF is facing comes from two directions. First, lack of military action has led some international organizations to consider OLF as an ineffective organization that is waging "protracted" war against the Ethiopian regime. They do not see the OLF as posing any imminent threat to the regime, nor do they value it as an alternative force to reckon. Therefore, several countries have chosen to support the regime in power as long as it advances their national interest, even it is at the cost of exacerbating human rights violations and corruptions. As stated above, because of the immense effort the OLF and civic organizations, most international organizations and agencies do understand the justified cause of the Oromo people. However they turn blind eye and support the regime, because they see the Oromo movement, when it comes to real challenge, as weak and uncoordinated.

The second external challenge comes from the enemy camp, namely the TPLF regime and its surrogates. The lack of military activity in Oromia has led some people to lose hope. Hence, such people have been joining the surrogate OPDO organization. Similarly, lack of such military activity has led these servants of the enemy to increase their attack on the defenseless Oromo people. In addition, the above mentioned growth of pessimism among the Oromos in the Diasporas has led the enemy to attempt to infiltrate the Diaspora in the name of investment opportunity in Oromia. Although the regime and its surrogates have failed to achieve their goals, this development has revealed some troubling situations within out community. Few years back, it was a shame to be affiliated with Woyane, but today we are seeing some individuals boasting about their OPDO membership while attempting to demoralize Oromo nationalists. More troubling is the new development that some well recognized Oromo "nationalists" have been lured by this "investment" shenanigan. Therefore, the OLF must act in a timely manner to change the current pessimistic environment or face even worse situations.

Some Possible Solutions
As discussed above, lack of military activity and battle victory has immensely contributed to the development of pessimism which is bringing several challenges to the organization. To change these situations, the organization needs to implement necessary structural, tactical and code-of-conduct reforms within the organization. Structurally, the front needs to develop new model of command set up within its civil and military departments. In this regard, it is important the organization brings new faces to the leadership. There is a laud call from OLF supporters, if there are ears willing to listen, for new leadership that will reshape the organization and revive the hope in our society. The current leadership deserves appreciation for their dedication in leading the organization through one of the most unstable times in the history of OLF. However it's about time they give ways for new persons with fresh perspectives in order to take the organization another step forward. Leaders with a long tenure within the Executive Committee and National Assembly must prepare themselves to relinquish their position . The Oromo nation is deeply indebted to them for their life time commitment to liberate our nation from the yoke of oppression- now they should take the pass on the torch to younger leaders to take the struggle to fruition.

Members and leaders of the organization also need to go through fundamental change in their code of conduct. The long established norms and customs of the organization need to be reevaluated to see if they fit to the current socio-political realities. The common complaints are that OLF members have continued to conduct business using a rather outdated model. For instance, their aggressive attitude towards each other as well as their tendency to silence their critiques must be stopped. The organization and its agents must be willing to tolerate and listen to even unpopular voices, because while some criticisms could be unsubstantiated and not constructive, not all of them are harmful.

In addition, the OLF needs to reflect the diversity of the Oromo people; regional, religious, gender and age representations in all positions from local to national level must not be neglected. For instance, when over half of our population is women and two-third is youth, it's unacceptable and inefficient for the organization to have an all-old-men leadership. Diversifying the leadership structure to represent all segments of the Oromo population would help to defuse some of the current regional tension, and to deny regionalists their recruiting ground.

Conclusion
Thus, OLF must intensify its armed struggle, which is the only solution to defeat the enemy and regain back the pride of our nation. The OLF leadership must stop acting as if they are already leading a freed nation; they must be reminded that they are leading an armed struggle against the worst tyrant in the world. So far its political program permits, any method of struggle must be pursued regardless of what America or any other Western nation would say. Our need for more allies and friends should not be at the cost of prolonging the agony of our people. OLF is the hope of the Oromo nation, and we take pride by its presence, but our national pride has been injured by its lack of action. Siddise Abbamagal**The writer is a public policy student living the USA. She can be reached at sabagalo@gmail.com
Source:http://www.oduu.com/news/index.php?news_id=1462

Somali opposition vows to defeat Ethiopia within months

ASMARA (AFP) — Somalia's opposition leaders predicted Monday that a further surge in Islamist-led insurgency in the capital Mogadishu could defeat Ethiopian troops supporting the government there within two months.
"The liberation forces are gaining strength day after day," said Zakariya Mahamud Abdi, spokesman of a congress in Eritrea's capital Asmara that has gathered Islamist leaders, exiled lawmakers and diaspora representatives.
"There are streams of young men coming to Mogadishu to take part in the liberation (and) I assure you that very soon Somalis will liberate their country, maybe a matter of a month or two months," he told reporters.
Ethiopian troops came to the rescue of Somalia's embattled transitional government forces last year and ousted the Islamic Courts Union, which had briefly taken control of large parts of the country.
Since being defeated by Ethiopia's vastly superior military machine, the insurgents have reverted to guerrilla tactics, launching daily hit-and-run attacks on government targets in Mogadishu.
Islamist and other opposition leaders boycotted a government-sponsored reconciliation meeting that wrapped up late last month and organised their own congress hosted by Ethiopia's arch-foe Eritrea.
The aim of the gathering is to create a unified opposition platform to end Ethiopian occupation of the Horn of Africa country.
"We will have a central command when we establish the organisation here," Abdi said.
Since the ouster of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has had no central authority and defied several initiatives aimed at ending bloody tribal feuds and restoring stability.

Murtiilee fi Kutanoolee Kora Adda Bilissummaa Oromoo

Hoogganootni fi miseensotni ABO, bikka addaa addaatii dhufan Adoolessa25, 26 fi 27, 2007, magaalaa Minneapolis MN keessatti Kora waggaagodhatanii injifatnoo guddaa fi milkii bareedaan xumuran.

Kora kana seenaa Oromoo gara fuuladuraatti barreeffamu keessatti adda godhee kan jiraachisutu jira. Kunis, murni Shanee Gumii dhaaba keenya fi miseensota keenya kaayyoo ganamaa qabatanii sosso’an mana seeraatti geessuuisaaniiti. Iyyata isaanii keessatti maqaa ABOn sosso’uun keenya miseensotafi galii isaanii jalaa akka xiqqeesse tuquudhaan abukaattootti fayadamanii galmeessan. Yeroo itti abukaattoo bitannuuf illee akka nuti yeroohin arganneef jecha xalayaan hammeessaa isaanii Jimaata fi Sambataduraanu gahee mana seeraatti immo Hojjaduree 8:30 WD akka dhi’aannuufgodhame.

Manni seeraas iyyata isaanii fudhatee maqaa ABOn walgahii hawaasaagafaa Adoolessa 27, 2007 yaamaa turree akka nuti hin godhanneefyeroodhaaf nu dhaabee ture. Haata’u iyyuu malee, tarkaanfii bareedduu miseensotni dhaaba keenyaa yeroodhaan fudhatan irraa kan ka’e deebiin gargaarsa abukaattootti fayyadamnee dh’eeffanne fudhatama argatee dhowwi nuirra kaa’ame nu irraa ka’ee walgahii hawaasaa fi kan miseensotaa akka saganteeffanneetti milkiin godhachuu fi xumurachuu dandeenyee jirra. Deggersi miseensota fi lammiwwan Oromoo bilissummaa Oromiyaaf qabsaa’an dhaamsi deggersaa isaan dhaaba keenya fi miseensota maqaadha’amanii hammeeffamaniif ergan hamilee kan nama kakaasu turan.

Isaan hundumaanis galata qabsoo argadhaa ittiin jechuu jaallanna.Haala akkanaa keessatti walgahiin fi korri tahe ejjenoolee fikutannoolee armaan gadii baasuun raawwatame.

Mootummaa Wayyaanee ilaalchisee:

1. Koloneeffataan Mootummaan Wayyanee maqaa diimookraasiin ijaarameeharka lafa jalaan garuu sirna fokkataa faashistummaatti fayyadamee ummataOromoo mirga dhabamsiisaa, qabeenyaa saamaa fi lubbuu isaaniigalaafataa jiraatuun isaa har’a firaafii fi diinaafiis ifaa ta’ee jira. Gochaafaashistummaa isaa kana guddifnee balaalleeffanna. Gocha kana akkaammuma ariitiin dhaabu ni gaafanna.

2. Ummata keenya kan sarbamee bittaa habashaa dhufee-darbaajalatti hacuucamaa jiru, bilisa bahee akka kaayyoo dhaaba keenyaaABOtti Republikii Dimookraatoftuu Oromiyaa dhaabbatuuf qabsoo jalqabne hamadhumaatti ittuma fufna.

3. Mootummootni fi dhaabboleen biyyotaa ollaa fi fagoo kan hacuucaa fisirna gabroomfataa ummata keenya irratti akka lubbuun dheeratuuf karaagaraa garaan mootummaa Wayyaanee utubaa jirtan hundumtuu, tarkaanfiifudhachaa jirtan akka dhaabdan maqaa ummata keenyaa Miliyoonaafurtamaatti heregamaniin isin gaafanna.

4. Lammiiwwan keenya waggoota dheeraadhaa jalqabee bittaa habashaajalaa miliquuf qee’eesaa fi dachii isaa dhiisee, biyyoota ollaattibaqatee jiraachaa jiru, mootummaan Wayyaanee isaan faana bu’ee adamseeajjeessaa akka jiru argina. Hojjii fokkataa kana osoo ilaalanii mirgabaqataa eeguu hanqachuun, loltuun Wayyaanee akka saree maraatuu asi fiachi lixxee baqataa Oromoo cicciniinaa jiraachuu ishee akkadhaabduufi dhaabboleen akka UNHCR dhiibbaa akka irratti godhanii fi hawaasabaqataa Oromoo iddoo kamittu akka golgan ni gaafanna.

5. Ilamaan Oromoo kan biyya ambaa jiraattan, maqaa lafa argannajedhuun diinaaf irree taatanii Oromoo lafa isaa irraa buqqisiiftanii lafafudhataa jirtan hammeenna kana saba keessan irratti hojachuu akka dhaabdanisin hubachiifna. Seenaa hamtuu dhimma mataa keessaniif jettanii,ofii keessan jaalachuudhaan saba keessan irratti yakka seenaa kan keessaahin hojataa jirtu. Gocha kana irra akka deebitan isin gaafanna.

Murna Shanee Ilaalchisee:

1) Oromiyyaa irraa biyya hiixuu tahe keessatti of ijaaree tarkaanfiiuummata keenyaaf bilissummaa isa dhugaa fidu osoo hin tahin hawwiijaraa guutuudhaaf uummata Oromoo afaanfajjeessuu irraa akka dhaabatugaafanna.

2) Ummata keenya uummata Oromoof daandiin siyaasaa kam akka bu’aafiduuf isaan fuuldura dhaabbannee wal falmuu osoo hin tahin,maallaqa hawaasni Oromoo qabsoo bilissummaaf gummaache gaaga’uu kan danda’umana seeraa biyya ambaa filachuu murna shanee jabeessinee balaaleffanna.Kun tahee osoo jiruu daandii dhugaa fi haqaa kan uummata keenyabilissummaa isaatiin gahu qabannee adeemaa akka jirru waan amannuuf shira nuirratti xaxamu mara ciccirree gatuuf boodatti akka hin deebine irbuuseennee ni haaressina.

3) Qabsaa’onni dhuga murna kana jalatti akka miseensaattigalmaa’anii kan fi deggertoota Shanee Gumii, osoo gad fageessanii hinhubatiin umirii jara kanaa dheeressa jiraniin, qabsoon keenya isinirratti osoo hin tahin bilissummaa Oromoo dura kan dhaabatu irratti tahuuisaa isin yaadachiifna.

4) “Tooftaaf”, maqaa jedhuun uummatni keenya haga har’aattiQabsoo isaatiin mirga tokko tokko inni galmeeffate illee dachaasuufqophaa’uu isaanii kan hin dhoksine oftuultota habashaaf daandii isaanittiin deebi’anii aangootti ol bahanii hawwii isaanii ittiin guuttatantahaa jiraachuu isaa, murni shanee akka hin daganne yaadachiifna.

Tumsa Kaayoo Qabsoo Oromoo (TKO) Ilaalchisee:

Tumsi Kaayoo Qabsoo Oromoo gaafa utubame irraa jalqabee waldhaansi innikaayoo bilisummaa saba Oromoo akka karaa irraa hin maqne godheguddifnee dinqisiifanna. Tumsa kana hundaanuu bira dhaabachuu murteefanne.Tumsi kun akka seminaara naannoo akka Washington, DC, Minneapolis, MN,fi Torontoo, Kanada fa’atti godhu ni gaafanna.

WBO ilaalchisee:

WBOn abdii bilisummaa ti; abdii Oromoo ti; irree saba Oromoo ti.Qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo jabeessuu fi Oromoo bilisummaa gonfachiisuufmurteessaan WBO ta’uun isaa amanamee, isa jabeessuuf murteeffanne.

Kora ABO Adoleessa 2007.