On November 13, 2023, OLLAA’s board transmitted a letter to the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). This correspondence builds upon a previous letter that OLLAA submitted to diplomatic communities actively facilitating peace talks between the Ethiopian government and OLA.
In our previous communication to the Ethiopian government and OLA, OLLAA outlined several crucial points, elucidating the imperative of resolving the ongoing conflict and violence in Oromia through dialogue. We emphasized that this round of talks must be regarded as a pivotal opportunity, underscoring the need to address differences or, at the very least, establish a ceasefire until further points of contention can be addressed.
We firmly believe that the continuation of violence poses a severe threat to innocent civilians, who have unfortunately become the primary targets. Over the past couple of years, OLLAA has documented hundreds of extrajudicial killings by government security forces and Amhara militia group Fano and also instances of civilians being targeted by all parties to the conflict. Furthermore, OLLAA strongly emphasized the need for an inclusive discussion incorporating gender and human rights organizations into the dialogue. Over the past three years and beyond, OLLAA has consistently played a significant role in bringing the concerns of the Oromo people to the international stage.
As one of the sole community-funded, Oromo-focused human rights organizations, OLLAA firmly believes that any comprehensive dialogue must include diverse organizations, encompassing political parties and advocacy groups. Given our pivotal role as OLLAA in uniting numerous Oromo communities and actively engaging with the international community on Oromo concerns, we stress the imperative of our involvement. This stance aligns with the tone conveyed in our letter to the diplomatic community. We encourage the mediators to employ its importance.
Finally, OLLAA welcomes today’s official statement by OLA for the in-person attendance of the Commander in Chief Jaal Marroo Dirriba and his deputy Jaal Gammachu. Their attendance signifies a positive step toward agreement, but we remind them the Oromo has suffered enough and another day continuation of this violence is unacceptable. OLLAA also applauds the OLA leader’s courage to seek peace in Oromia and ensure the Oromo community stands with them.