Ethiopian Freedom Journey: From Unitarity Over Federation And Liberation To Political Union

Ethiopian Freedom Journey: From Unitarity Over Federation And Liberation To Political Union


Fayyis Oromia

Ethiopia (Cushland) with its "glorious" history of more than 5000 years is now in its deep political crises. Its futurity seems to be uncertain. Its people of different nations and nationalities are suffering from the sequel of both economical and political crises. The present incumbent regime is on taking different measures out of desperation. It marginalizes and persecutes specially the biggest nation of the region, Oromo nation, as well as it oppresses and tyrannizes almost all citizens and nationalities, who do demand and struggle for their citizens' and collective freedom. All the hitherto regimes in the region called Ethiopia used to rule with force by suppressing any dissent voice at gun point. It seems the current regime is the worst and the fascist one, which the empire ever had.

Now almost all pro-freedom and pro-democracy forces in the empire are trying to get rid of this fascist regime. What is lacking above all is the appropriate cooperation and coordination of the opposition groups (both "peacefull" and armed groups) to bring together their resources and use them effectively and efficiently against the tyrannts. The main hinderance for such cooperation is the lack of a common purpose and common view they do have for the freedom journey. To my understanding till now, only AFD and G-7 seem to comprehend the route of the journey to freedom and democracy. Both of them put the journey to be accomplished in two phases: first the fight for freedom from Weyane' fascists and then secondly to forge the basic essential democratic institutions necessary to realize democracy in which all parties and their programms can be judged by public verdict.

Here I will try to help in making the freedom journey clear and plausible for all the stakeholders, who want to yet consolidate the necessary only ONE and all inclusivealliance against the fascists and their ethnic-apartheid. Leaving the hitherto move of all Cush nations during their last political evolution for historians, I would like to concentrate only on the recent past political conditions, on the present status quo and on the future possibilities. My choice of this topic now is inspired by the currently publiched collection of articles on the website, Gadaa.com under the title: 'Bergen Meeting Revised', just to restimulate a political discourse among Oromo polity and with Ethiopian politicians to further "explore a new political alternative for Oromo Ethiopians". The collection can be read under: http://www.cmi.no/publications/file/336 ... -oromo-pdf

In the article written by Obbo Daawud Ibsaa in that collection, the following assertion of him attracted my attention: "... The new World Order has made sovereignity and territorial integrity less absolute. We saw nations determining their affair and forming new states. The right to self-determination, which used to apply only to countries under colonial rule, is now recognized as a universal right of all nations and peoples. Consequently the map of the world is being redrawn. On the contrary, with the formation of unions like the EU, state sovereingity has become more symbolic than real. Countries joining such Unions voluntarily sign treaties that undermine their sovereignity to avail their people of social and economic benfits from a large pie. We are encouraged by both trends. The increased recognition of the right of nations to self-determination gives us hope that if our genuine appeal for peace is rejected and met with violence rather than being reciprocated, as has been many times in the past, we have the right and the will to decide our fate. The trend towards cooperation is also encouraging to us because it opens new doors and creates more opportunities for our people to work with others to build a more prosperous, harmonious, stable and peacefull region..."

I think taking these two trends in to consideration, we all nations in the region called Ethiopia or Horn or Cushland should try to have one common cause and common route of journey to wards the END goal of the common cause. I personally can drive from the above assertion that the common cause is to build a more prosperous, harmonious, stable and peacefull region. The feasible route to this common cause is moving from the status quo (from the unitary and very oppressive "revolutionary centeralism" of Weyane), first to a true Kilil federation in which all nations in the region can have their genuine autonomy or self-adminstration, then secondly to achieve the necessary INDEPENDENCE of each nation to give their public verdict per referendum in a sense of self-determination so that all nations will consciously decide for the Union of Liberated Nations of the region to realize the beneficial common vision mentioned above.

In short this will be a move from the hitherto unitarity of the empire over self-adminstarion of nations (a kilil federation) and over self-determination of nations (a national liberation) to the END, i.e to a Union of Liberated Nations. When we look at the East African Community (EAC) member states (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Ruwanda) struggling to forge a custom union, a common market and a monatory union to forge at the end a political union for common benefit, then we can only ask our selves logically that, why should we not use the advantage of the already present custom union, common market and monatory union in the region called Ethiopia just to build a similar and optimal political union of our region on the grave of the enslaving hitherto political Ethiopian empire system.

Nowadays even the "multi-national" parties like G-7, UDJ and the likes have started to stress the importance of fighting first for freedom from Weyane fascism and tyranny as a precondition for the lasting multi-national democracy. The only thing such parties still need to digest is the very imporance of national freedom parallel to the citizens' freedom they do seem to fight for. If they do this, then they are almost on the same track and with the similar wave length to the opinion of Obbo Daawud, which I quoted above, i.e there will be no discord between the pro-democracy "multi-national" parties like G-7 and the national freedom fighters like OLF. I also don't see any reason why other factions of OLF and other Oromo liberation movements should oppose such a move of Obbo Daawud's group. This will be the very good base for building the very essential all inclusive TIBIBIR (alliance)against fascist Weyane. Then it will not be difficult to coordinate overtly or covertly the opposition democratic federalists like MEDREK at home with such new TIBIBIR in diaspora and with those moving under ground to fight against the fascist regime in Ethiopia.

So I would like to reccommend that all pro-freedom and pro-democracy forces do agree on the political route, i.e from the hitherto imperial unitarity over a true federation and over a national liberation to a union of liberated nations as described above. This innovative move can even attract in the future nations like Eritrea, Djibouti, Somaliland, Puntland and Somalia to join the regional union. Let's have this common vision and common route as we now start a new European year and I wish good luck and victory for all of us in this journey for our national freedom, regional union and multi-national democracy in our common home, the Horn.

Happy new year!
Galatoomaa!!

Members of the Europian Ogaden and Oromo Community demonstrate againist Meles Zenawi

Members of the Europian Ogaden Community demonstrate againist Meles Zenawi

Friday 18 December 2009

Members of the Danish Ogaden community demonstrate outside the Bella Center, the venue of the U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen Thursday Dec. 18, 2009/ Getty Images

Dozens of Ogaden and Oromo communities in Europe demonstrated outside the UN climate change conference on December 17-18, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The group were demonstrating against Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi participating in the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Meles Zenawi is one of the worst environmental records in the history of Ethiopia and that he has no respect for fundamental human rights. Waving the Ogaden National flag, the protestors chanted Meles belongs at the Hague for trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) instead of being honored as a spokesman for all African nations at the global conference this week. Members of the Ogaden community accused Meles Zenawi of committing genocide in the Ogaden.

Many Afican countries seek financial compensation for the continent in order to combat climate change. Recently, some African groups opposed a deal between Meles and European leaders.

Members of the Danish Ogaden community demonstrate outside the Bella Center, the venue of the U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen Thursday Dec. 18, 2009/ Getty Images

The Ogaden people are fighting for self-determintion. Extra-judicial killings, rape, disappearances, destruction of livelihood and the displacement of thousands of Ogaden people are the dialy norm in Ogaden.

There is constant fighting between Ethiopian troops and ONLF forces in the Ogaden region. Human rights organizations accuse the Ethiopian soldiers of violating the human rights by harassing the people in the Ogaden region.

At last, the Minnesota Oromo share their secret

By Douglas McGill, TC Daily Planet

Who knows the Minnesota Oromo? Who knows their dark secret?

Fifteen thousand Oromo live in Minnesota but they blend in almost invisibly, like a stealthy, anonymous population in the state.

Their secret enshrouds them although they are our neighbors, who mix completely within us and who, in the last analysis, are indistinguishable from us.

They are teachers, doctors and lawyers; they run retail shops and corporations; they attend Viking games, relax at coffee shops and stroll at malls. They are sometimes called "Ethiopian immigrants" because they are indeed from Ethiopia. But among friends and family, or if you ask them specifically, they carefully call themselves "Oromo."

Who are the Oromo?

They are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, numbering 31 million, and they are the subject of a new report, "Human Rights in Ethiopia: Through the Eyes of the Oromo Diaspora," prepared by The Advocates for Human Rights, based in Minneapolis.

The report describes how the Oromo began immigrating to Minnesota from their homeland 30 years ago, and in the process explains why, despite their mostly successful assimilation, they remain relatively little-known here.

The report dramatically reveals the Oromo's unshareable - until now - secret.

First, though, a warning. This column contains language that represents an awful reality, an affliction that at first may seem distant from us, but is actually as near to us as our neighbors -- that fellow at the football game, the woman at the mall.

State Power

So there is a chance that while reading these words you might all at once realize that this wound is open and burning today in Minnesota, which in turn might draw forth sadness from the deeps and enflame your righteous anger.

A century of history, summarized in the report, provides the context for understanding the Oromo's incognito status in this state. From the days of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia in the late 19th century, and continuing through the tyrannical regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi today, the Oromo have been crushed down by state power.

Their Oromo's low profile in Minnesota reflects a century of focused, systematic, brutal campaigns by Ethiopian rulers to render them impotent and voiceless.

Successive Ethiopian governments for more than a century have defined the Oromo as second-class citizens holding severely limited rights to government representation, education, employment, free speech and property.

These strictures have prompted the Oromo to flee their homeland to a worldwide diaspora that numbers in the tens of thousands or possibly more - with Minnesota hosting probably the largest concentration of Oromo refugees in the world.

Personal Stories

But there is yet another deeper, psychological reason for the Oromo's eerily quiet presence in Minnesota all of these years.

That reason is provided in the new report by story after personal story, such as the three following, chosen at random from scores of similar interviews collected.

These stories amount to a public revelation of the intimate secret of the Minnesota Oromo, the searing shame they've held within themselves for many years.

Their secret is that they have been tortured, or deeply scarred by torture they have witnessed, or suffered in their family or among their friends:

"I was turned upside down. They started beating the bottoms of my feet with a piece of tire. Each time they whipped me they ripped my skin. The brought a bucket full of water and bleach in it. When they stopped beating me they put my face in the bucket. I thought I would die."

And this story:

"The killing of Mustapha created fear in us. They brought him to the city center where everybody could see his body. They nailed him to the ground. They removed his skin and took out his two eyes. They forced people to come and watch. At first I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't recognize him. I fainted when I saw him."

And this:

"It is hard for us to talk about this. They put flashlights in the sexual organs of the ladies. There is a woman that they put flashlight batteries in her vagina. She couldn't hold her urine and she used to urinate on herself."

Let me confess, I have some beefs with The Advocate's new report.

The biggest is that its historical sweep dilutes its potential present-day impact.

As horrific as they were, the human rights crimes of earlier Ethiopian dictators are now a part of history.

Meanwhile, the current dictator, now a bloody 18 years in office, urgently requires accountability that a more contemporary report could have provided with greater force.

The report's scope also leads to weakness in specifics. The cursory treatment of a massacre of 426 men of the Anuak tribe of Western Ethiopia, on Dec. 13, 2003, fails to mention the exhaustive evidence that the massacre was part of a government-planned genocide of the tribe.

The scant two-paragraph mention of the most urgent crisis in Ethiopia today, in the Ogaden region, is also troubling. As is the timidity, even the naivete, of calling upon the present Ethiopian government, which long ago showed the world its spots, to "immediately cease" its abominations.

Yet the report fulfills its most important function.

It helped the Oromo of Minnesota reveal their heavy, long-held secret.

The secret that for all these years has kept the Oromo hidden and voiceless, even while living as citizens in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

With help from The Advocates, the Oromo have shown great bravery in revealing their secret.

Will we return that courage by bravely listening?

After that, what will we do?

Source: Minnesota Daily

HRLHA Press Release: Victimization of Refugees Continues in Puntland

HRLHA Press Release: Victimization of Refugees Continues in Puntland

HRLHA Press Release No21
December 2009

Victimization of Refugees Continues in Puntland

According to documents obtained by HRLHA from its reporters in Bosaso, Puntland, a refugee has been killed and twenty six others injured on December 1st 2009 at around 7:30 PM with what was believed to have been a hand grenade thrown by unidentified group of people. This attack, which happened in the town of Bosaso/Puntland, Halo Kismayo #1 area, only three weeks after the gunning down of two Oromo refugees in Garoowe/Puntland, targeted Oromo and Somali refugees from Ethiopia who were at the time watching television at a local snack bar. Among the twenty six wounded refugees were eighteen Oromos and eight Somalis.

According to some eye witnesses, the culprits arrived at the site of the attack in a car and drove away in the same vehicle after committing the attack. The attack claimed the life of one Somali refugee, while injuring twenty six others. The death of this Somali refugee and that of Mrs. Samira Ahmed Musa, a mother of five who was gunned down in her own temporary shelter in Bosaso, on 23rd on November, 2009, brings the total number of the victims of extra-judicial killing in a one month time to four. The killing of Mrs. Samira Ahmed Musa, which came following that of her husband a year ago, leaves behind five orphaned children refugees.

Among the injured were: Among the injured were:


Name - Sex - Age - Birth - Place
1 Abdo Fita Aba Fogi - M - 22 - Jimma, Daddo
2 Mohamed Kedir Kamal - M - 32 - Arsi ,Robe
3 Mustafa Aba Tamam - M - 23 - Jimma Agaro
4 Rais Aba Sinal - M - 25 - Jimma, Limmu
5 Tahir Bashir Abdurahiman - M - 18 - Bale, Agarfa
6 Awel Kaliga Aba Adi - M - 20 - Jimma, Daddo
7 Tahir Kedir abba Simbo- M - 25 - Jimma, Sigmo
8 Kalid Aba Jabel - M - 30 - Jimma ,Saka
9 Bonsa Gada Badada - M - 28 - Jimma, Daddo
10 Jamal Shihasan Mohamed - M - 30 - Harar, Haroo
11 Gale Aba Ware - M - 27 - Jimma, Deddo
12 Abdu Geder Abba Goro - M - 25 - Jimma, Sigmo
13 Nazimo Sado Abdulahi - M - 32 - Jimma, Limu
14 Abdulkader Aba Chafa - M - 35 - Jimma, Agaro
15 Badada Gemechu Tola - M - 28 - Wallega, Buluk
16 Birhanu Bati Ragassa - M - 23


Among the injured refugees


According to HRLHA reporter, the refugees in Bosaso, Puntland have high suspicion that the Ethiopian TPLF-led government has been behind those attacks with the approval of the local government. The suspicion is very likely; given the way the attacks have been planned and carried out.

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa would like to express its deep concern over these continued attacks and extra-judicial killings against defenseless refugees. It is a saddening irony that refugees are met with such fates in a country where they should have been offered the maximum security possible under the protection of not only the host country but also international bodies such as the UNHCR. It is more saddening that this is the very
reason why those refugees fled their homelands in the first place.

HRLHA would like to draw the attention of the government of Putland State of Somalia as well as other regional and international bodies to these worrisome situations of refugees in Putland State of Somalia. It would also call upon the Putland State of Somalia government to take all necessary legal actions to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice in a way that the safety and protection of other refugees in the country could be guaranteed.

Background Information: HRLHA reported in February 2008 in its No9 Press Release that 65 Oromo refugees from Ethiopia were murdered and more than 100 others were seriously injured when two grenades were thrown at two different hotels owned by two Oromo refugees, Melaku and Jamal Arsii, in port town of Bossaso in Puntland State of Somalia.

The HRLHA is a non-political organization which attempts to challenge abuses of human rights of the people of various nations and nationalities in the Horn of Africa. It works on defending fundamental human rights including freedoms of thought, expression, movement and association. It also works on raising the awareness of individuals about their own basic human rights and that of others. It encourages the observances as well as due processes of law. It promotes the growth and development of free and vigorous civil societies.

OROMUMMAA WALIIN QABNA!

Kabajamtoota ilaam Oromoo, nagaan kabaja Oromummaa bakka jirtanitti isin haaga’u. Barri haarayaa itti adeemnu kun bara ilmaan Oromoo waliif galanii alaa galan, bara wal gorfatanii tokkoomaan, bara dogoggora darbeef dhiifama waliif godhan, bara xiqqaa fi guddaan walii abboomaman, bara diinumman afee obbolummaan itti dagaagu, bara safuun ulfinni Oromummaa itti kabajamu, bara gammachuu bara jaalaa, bara nageenyaa, bara tokkummaa, bara bilisummaa isinnif haata’u!

Kabajamtoota ilmaan Oromoo kutaalee garaagaraa keessatti dhalachuun, Ilaalcha siyaasaa garaagaraa qabaachuun, Amantii adda addaattii buluun fafa hin qabu, mirga dhuunfaati. Garuu moo dhiiga ittiin ganama umamne Oromummaa waliin qabnu waliin jabeefachuun mirga qofaa otoo hin ta’iin dirqama keenya. Kanaafuu kutaa kamittuu haa dhalannuu, Jaarmiyaa Siyaasaa Qabsoo Bilisummaa Oromoo adda addaa kamillee haadeeggarru, Amantii kamittillee haa bulluu tokkummaa Oromummaan waliin qabnu cimsuuf qophii haa taanu! tattaaffii haa goonu!

Oromummaa Foundation kaayyoo calqabe baldhinaan ummataan ga’uuf Koree Qindeesituu WTUOGA-Ntherlands waliin ta’uudhaan sagantaa addaa qopheessee jira. Sagantaan kun bara harayaa 2010 itti seennu ilaalcha haarayaan, sammuu obbolummaa Oromummaa tiin waliin akka simanuuf, wal hubannoon ilmaan Oromoo jidduutti akka dagaagutti yaadamee sagantaa qophaa’ee dha.

Sagantaan kun akkuma adaa Oromoot Maanguddootinni tarree galanii margaa jiidhaa qabatanii eebbaan banu. ibsa gabaabaa fi mariin booda sagantaa bashannanaatu itti fufa. Dhumarrattis eebba Maanguddoo tiin xumurama.

SAGANTAA BASHANNANAA

Sagantaa kana midhagsanii milkeessuuf Artistoota Oromoo bebeekkamoo ta’an, Gazexeesitoota, Walaleesitoota, Abbaa qoosaa/Comedian qooda fudhatu.

Artistoota:-1.Hangaatuu Baalchaa 2.Mahaaddii Sheekaa 3.Habtaamuu Hayeta Dabalee 4. Bakkaangahaa Margaa

Waggaa lamaan darbe, Mudde 23 bara 2007 yeroo sabboontotinni Gazexeesitoota oromoo arfan Dammaqaa Nagaasaa, Lamlam Faantaa, Mohaammad Ahmad fi Dassuu Duulaa yeroo biyya Eritira’aa gara biyya Netherlands dhufan jiraatotinni Oromoo Netherlands ilaalcha siyaasaan, kutaan, amnatiin otoo wal-hin qoodiin Jaallan kanaaf simannaa addaa gochuun isaanii ni yaadatama. Ammammoo “tokkummaan oromummaa wanta hunda caala, dhaabbannee isin keessummeesina” jechuu dhaan obbolaawwan keenya kun sagantaa qophaa’ee kana’rratti dabaree isaanii Uummata simachuun ogummaa qabaniin waltajjii kana sagantaa seena qabeessa ta’e taasisuuf qophaanii sin eegaa jiru.

“Dhaamsa kiyya addaan hin kutu, yoo qalbeefattan walaloon kiyya lafa hin buutu!” jedhu addee Makkiyaa Abdullah /Binta Dirree

Kolfaan gammaduun akka nyaachaa fi dhugaati nama gabbisa, an qoosuu hin dadhabu isin kolfuu hin dadhabiina!”jedha Raayyaa Abbaaduraa/Lateo Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

“Harmeen kiyya Weelluu dhaan isin gammachiifti ani moo walaloon hiriyoota koo Daa’imman Oromoo dadammaqassa, dhaamsa nama guddaa isiinif dabarsa!” Jedha mucaan waggaa 11 Roobinus Shimallis.

Calqabaa sagantaa hanga dhumaatti isin keessuummeesuuf sabboontoota kabajaan isin eegaa jiran:-1. Raayyaa Abbaaduraa 2. Shimallis Shaanqoo 3. Aliimaa Usmaan 4. Sannayiti Galataa 5. Ambassee Sambataa 6. Hussein Mahaammad 7. Midhaqissaa Baalchaa

Sagantaan kun bakkee da’imman Oromoo itti wal-arganii, waliin gammadan, Lakk. bilbilaa, e.meela wal-jijjirrattani enyummaa obbulummaa Oromummaa isaan kan ittiin jabeefatanii dha. Kaffaltiin galma ittiin seenamu EU.20.00, namoota kaampii baqataa keessa jiraatani “documentii”bakkee jireenya isaanii mirkaneessu agrsiisanii EU 10.00 qofaa kaffalanii galma seenu. Ijoolleen waggaa 18 gadii hanga umurii 15 waraqaa eenyummaa/umurii isaan mirkaneessu agarsiisanii kaffaltii malee bilisaan galma seenu. Sagantaan bashananaa kun karaa sarara “paltalk” Waldaa Tokkummaa Uummata Oromoo Guutuu Addunyaa tiin suduudaan qilleensa’rra oola.

Guyyaa, sa’a fi bakkee sagantaan itti gaggeeffamu:- Amajjii 09 bara 2010, sa’a 12.00_21.00, Straat Weltevreden 4 postcode: 3731 AL De Bilt/Utrecht Netherlands.

Akkaataan ittiin dhuftan Utercht centeral train station’rraa Bus lakk. 77 kan gara Magaalaa Bilthoven deemu qabadhaa. Bakkee Groenekanseweg/ Alfred Nobellaan jedhamutti Bus’rraa bu’aa. Karuma Busa’rraa buutaniin fuula duratti xiqquma yeroo deemtan ibsaa tiraafikaa ceetanii harka mirgaatti daandii qaldhoo “biskileetaa” ‘rra miilaan bakkee/mana Weltevreden lakk.4 ga’uuf minute 8 qofaa deemtu. Yoo train stationa Magaalaa Biltihoven’rraa kaatanis garaagarina hin qabu, bifuma armaan olitti caqafameen deemama.

Wuxineessaan Sagantaa kanaa, Bakkaangahaa Margaa Bu’uuressaa Oromummaa Foundation fi WTUOGA Lakk.bil. 0031624548926

Haala kaayyoo Oromummaa Foundation fi WTUOGA gabaabumatti quba isin qabsiisuuf:- Oromummaa Foundation Mirgaa fi Gargaarsa Namoomaa garaagaraa raawwachuuf akkasumas Dagaagina Aadaa fi Hawaasummaa Uummta Oromoo’rratti kan fuulleefateedha, keessattuu Baqatoota Oromoo, Hidhamtoota Siyaasaa, Daa’imman maatii hin qabne gargaaruuf Dhaabbata Namoomaa seeraan hundeefamee dha.

Tokkummaa Oromoo cimsuun fedhii ilmaan Oromoo maraati. Kanaafuu fedhii Tokkoominaa Uummata Oromoo galmaan ga’uuf “Oromummaa Foundation” ijaarsa Waldaa Tokkummaa Uummata Oromoo Guutuu Addunyaa (WTUOGA) gaggeessaa jira. Ijaarsi kun biyya alaa fi biyya keesatti ilmaan Oromoo maraa kan hammatuudha. (Namootaa diinaaf meeshaa ta’anii hojjachaa jiraniin alati ilmaan Oromoo martinuu WTUOGA keessatti qooda fudhachuu ni dandayu).

Jiraatota Oromoo biyya Netherlandi fi biyyoota ollaa kanneen dhaamsi kun hin qaqqabne akka qaqqabsiiftan kabajaa Oromummaan isin gaafanna.

Waan Bayeessa haa Hojjannu!

www.oromummaa.com

Oromummaa Foundation fi

Koree Qindeesituu ijaarsa WTUOGA-Netherlands

National liberty preceds multinational (regional) democracy! (By Fayyis Oromia)

National liberty preceds multinational (regional) democracy!

Fayyis Oromia

This short essay and of course my hitherto contributions are my x-mass gift to all my readers and at the same time this one is a good-bye message. Thank you all for reading my opinions till now, be it they are constructive or not to the pragmatic move of Oromo liberation and the liberation movement of all oppressed nations in Ethiopian empire. I have tried to do my contribution using different nick-names for the last many years. One of the fruits I am now enjoying is the current tendency of all Oromo nationalists to preach and practice Oromo uniy for liberty (Tokkummaa for Bilisummaa). This is one of the results of our efforts for many years, thanks Waaqayyoo/Rabbii, we could silence to some extent Weyane cadres and "naive Oromos", who used to sow a discord among different Oromo groups based on region, party and religion as well as using the division parameters like leaders vs followers, young generation vs old generation, etc.

Now it seems that all Oromo nationalists in the ruling party of Oromia, in the opposition parties aka Oromo democratic federalists, and in the rebel fronts like Oromo Liberation Front do agree on the necessity of Oromo unity as a source of our power to liberate Oromo and Oromia from domination, exploitation and tyranny. Oromo nation being the third big native nation in Africa (next to Berber and Hausa), our liberation will definitely be a precedence and an example for the future self-determination of all national groups in Africa, be it they are big or small and have their autonomy at different levels (state, province, district or county) of adminstrative arrangement of the future African federation.

The coming five months are, the time of "struggle for democracy per election" in the Ethiopian empire. The ruling TPLF wants this election for legitimacy in front of international community (not necessarily in front of Ethiopian nations and peoples) to rule further for the next five years. It prepared its self in the last five years after the defeat it experienced in the election of 2005. The final preparation it undertook is the code of conduct it agreed on with three unitarist parties, which it desparately needed for the legitimacy and as the binding procedure to secure its winning of the next election. All the three "opposition" parties who made this agreement of the code of conduct with the encumbent are the sympathizers of the ex-nefxenya Ethiopia, so that they chose to give the neo-nefxenya Ethiopia to survive further instead of being challenged and transformed by democratic unionists like Medrek at home and AFD in diaspora. Why did this alliance of the ex-nefxenya admirers and the neo-nefxenyas happen now? Is the movemnt of Oromo people and other oppressed nations for liberty endangering the existence of the Abyssinian domination system, which the two nefxenyas try to save?

It is clear that all the oppressed nations in the Ethiopian empire in general and the Oromo nation in particular are fighting for their liberty for the last more than one century. The two nefxenyas in the contrary still sing and dance about the necessity of "unity and democracy". Unfortunately, there can never be unity of nations and democracy of the empire without first accepting and respecting the God-given right of citizens as individual and the liberty of nations as group. That is why political organizations like AFD and G-7 used to advocate for freedom to be achieved before establishing democracy in the region called Ethiopia. Liberty from exploitation, tyranny and oppression under both the ex-nefxenyas and the neo-nefxenya Weyanes should come to end. If there is such liberty (freedom) of citizens and nations, Oromo people is the last to fear the propagated unity and democracy, which are untiringly preached by those who want to keep the empire's domination system by any means.

We all know that liberty is a concept of political philosophy and identifies the condition in which an individual or a group has the right to act according to his or her own will. So the question we all need to ask is, do individual citizens and collective nations as a group in Ethiopian empire have such the right to act according to their will? The answer is a big NO!. That is why before preachig about democracy, unity and peace, all the concerned stakeholders need to fight for such liberty together. The attempt of pro-liberty forces to come together like what they did in Medrek and AFD is very encouraging to say the least. If such alliances fight first for freedom (liberty) from Weyane tyranny and achieve it, then the probability of forging both democracy and unity based on their free-will can be high.

The attempt of Weyane to tell us that we do have already achieved freedom, unity based on free will and democracy under their rule is the 21st century big LIE we ever heared in the world. Weyane talks freedom and walks tyranny; talks unity, but walks devide and rule method; talks peace, but walks state terrorism; talks democracy, but walks dictatorship. What the neo-nefxenyas talk and walk are diametrically opposite. What about the opposition? Here we should differentiate the unitarists like AEUP and EDP from the unionists like Medrek and AFD. The unitarists being the nostalgical admirers of the ex-nefxenya just emulate the neo-nefxenyas in their hypocrasy. They talk democracy, but walk to achieve Amhara elite's dictatorship; they talk unity, but want to keep the empire with its domination system...etc. The unionists are the only genuine opposition group struggling for both freedom and democracy as a precondition for the union of liberated nations in the empire/region to forge a possible united states of Ethiopia as a base for the future United States of Africa.

Of course, democracy is a political government either carried out by the people (direct democracy), or the power to govern is granted to elected representatives (representative democracy). In this sense, the democracy, which was tried by the monarchy of T. Mekonnen, by military dictatorship of Mengistu and now by ethnocratic dictatorship of Meles are the pseudo-democracies we had in the empire. Actually it is practically impossible to democratize an empire, where there is a sort of domination system. For the empire to be democratized, the domination system of both the ex- and neo-nefxenyas must be destroyed. This shows us that first comes national liberty, then follows regional (empire's) democracy. Democrcy under national slavery (unity without liberty) such us what we do see in the Ethiopian empire system is only a dream, which can never be realized. Oromo nation in particular and all other oppressed nations in general need to fight for our libery by any means now. We can realize democracy only in a liberated Oromia and in the other liberated national areas, that is why democratization of the Ethiopian empire is a futile excercise, even though it is one of the means leading us to our Kaayyoo (the END-goal). To achieve the liberty we do want, we need to be well-armed (empowered). Empowering Oromo nation and other oppressed nations can only come through Tokkummaa for Bilisummaa (unity for liberty) of all national liberation fronts. So let's unite first to achieve liberty from Weyane's tyranny and then forge a democracy in a multinational union of the region callled Ethiopia. Democratization of such a NEW Ethiopia is possible on the contrary to the attempt of democratizing the empire Ethiopia..

Regarding the unity we do talk about, there are two types of unity: the one required to achieve liberty, which is the unity of the freedom movements of all nations (unity for liberty), and the other one is which we need after liberty, that is a union of nations in the region/empire. To have the first one (unity for liberty), it is good to have a common ground for all opposition freedom fighters regarding what to achieve after liberty. The common ground can only be to have a union of liberated nations in the empire/region. The two nefxenyas (wolves in a sheep clothing), including those which want to dismantle Oromia (the wish of the ex-nefxenya) and those which want to keep the status quo of the de-autonomized Oromia (the wish of the neo-nefxenya), must be dealt with by the cooperation and the coordination of the two parts of the unionist opposition, i.e by the working together of those, for instance, who want to achieve only Oromian autonomy in Ethiopian federation, like what OFC of Medrek is trying and those who do fight for Oromian independence in a possible union of nations in the empire/region like for what OLF struggles.

So let us the unionist opposition groups at home in the form of Medrek and groups in diaspora in the form of AFD which does now include OLF, ONLF, SLF, BPLM and GPLM cooperate and coordinate our efforts. I hope the other 'quasi-unionists' like G-7, EPPF, EPRP and UEDF-diaspora will join the AFD group or we will see in the near future if they are part and parcel of the unitarist admirers of the ex-nefxenyas. I know that specially G-7 already made an acceptance of unconditional Ethiopian unity as a precondition to forge any sort of alliance with AFD memeber organizations. With such arrogant position, G-7 just showed its color of a tendency to long for the unitarist Ethiopia. I just recommend G-7 and the likes to make the right of citizens and the wish of nations for liberty as a common ground, not their mantra about unconditional unity. Only free citzens and free nations can decide on the issue of Yes vs No to a union of nations in the empire/region, in which we can forge democracy of multi-national Ethiopia, of course after securing our individual and national liberty. That is why we tend to say: national liberty such as Oromian liberty preceds regional democracy like that of Ethiopian democracy!

Galatoomaa and nagaan ta'a!!

Call for Demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark (17.12.2009)

UOSE Press Release