An open letter from members of the Oromo diaspora communities and leading Oromo civil society organizations calling for the peaceful settlement of the conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army.
To: Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Mr. Shimelis Abdisa, President of the Oromia Regional Government
Mr. Kumsa Dirba (Jaal Marroo), Commander-in-Chief of the OLF-OLA
Re: Call for a Peaceful Settlement to the Conflict in Oromia
February 9, 2023
Dear Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed, President Abdisa, and Commander Marroo Dirba,
We, members of the Oromo diaspora communities and leading Oromo civil society organizations, write this open letter to call for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). As members of the Oromo diaspora communities, we have all been affected by the suffering our families, friends, and loved ones have endured due to the conflict that has embroiled the Oromia region over the past four years. Since 2018, thousands of Oromo civilians have been killed, arrested, and tortured, and millions displaced. The recent escalations in anti-Oromo and anti-government rhetoric following the rift in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) have only heightened the dangerous and volatile anti-Oromo climate. We believe now more than ever that it is incumbent on the Ethiopian government and OLA to set aside their differences and find a way to resolve the challenges that are threatening to destabilize the entire Horn of Africa.
We issue this call for a negotiated end to the conflict in order to not repeat the mistakes of the past that have perpetuated the suffering of our people. When the Derg regime (1974-91) fell in 1991, the Oromo believed the event constituted the dawn of a new era in which their rights would be respected and protected. Unfortunately, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) regime quickly reverted to the authoritarian rule that epitomizes Ethiopia’s political culture. The Oromo youth (qeerroo), the vanguard of the Oromo national movement – which has historically spearheaded the peaceful Oromo struggle for the right to self-determination, justice, and equality in Ethiopia – played a pivotal role in ending the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated EPRDF rule of violence. The advent of the new political order in early 2018, sadly, however, once again fell short of delivering on the highly anticipated hope for democratic change. Since then, ordinary civilians have continued to pay a heavy price, particularly in Oromia.
We believe there is no military solution to resolve political problems. While the guns have fallen silent in Tigray, following the agreements on the Cessation of Hostilities and Permanent Ceasefire between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF, conditions across Oromia have continued to deteriorate. Unfortunately, despite continued efforts by the Oromo diaspora communities to call attention to the plight of the Oromo people, the international community has so far done little to respond to these calls in the way it did for the Tigray conflict. This failure of the international community to pay necessary and sufficient attention to the suffering of the people in southern Ethiopia is deeply troubling.
Since the end of the Tigray conflict, there has been a notable rise in anti-Oromo rhetoric. Despite an obvious government policy of widespread targeting of Oromo civilians since 2018, Amhara radical groups that have long controlled and utilized religion as a political and economic tool are now openly calling for further atrocities against Oromo. For example, following the signing of the Pretoria Agreement, members of the Amhara regional government have labeled Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and Mr. Shimelis as “Oneg-Shane,” expressly accusing them of working in collusion with an Oromo nationalist dissident group. The EOTC Holy Synod has publicly condemned Prime Minister Abiy allegedly for taking the side of the three archbishops who, on January 22, 2023, appointed 26 bishops and assigned them to various parishes in southern Ethiopia. Many have gone so far as accusing the prime minister of unleashing unprovoked attacks on the church. We are now publicly witnessing some EOTC clergy and prominent Amhara individuals proclaiming that the Amhara must take over the government as the only means to solve the current issue.
In light of the vicious cycle of violence the Oromo people have faced and the newly emerging threat from the group that uses the state power and religion as a shield, we believe it is time for the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army to immediately seek a peaceful means to end the conflict in Oromia and Ethiopia. Failure to do so will only lead to tremendous suffering for innocent civilians by allowing the anti-Oromo group to continue massacring Oromos in the same way they are actively doing in the Wollo Oromia Special Zone and other parts of Oromia. The recent incidents in Shashamane, West Arsi, and Chiro, West Harerge, indicate how this radical group plans to utilize every opportunity to instigate chaos and create instability that will lead to sectarian violence and feed disinformation to the international community.
We believe this is a rare opportunity for the Ethiopian government and Oromo Liberation Army to come to the negotiating table and seek a peaceful means to end the conflict that has consumed thousands of lives and displaced millions. In order to be successful, we believe that such peace talks should be led by a neutral third party or the African Union, with the support of the international community. In the event that the international community fails to invoke the “African solutions to an African problem” mantra and act expeditiously to end the deadly conflict raging in Oromia, we believe the Oromo diaspora must take decisive steps towards finding “an Oromo solution to an Oromo problem.” This includes endeavoring to bring together international and local actors to engage the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army to accept a comprehensive negotiation process and settlement that brings lasting peace.
In 2019, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed received a Nobel Peace Prize. We, the members of the Oromo diaspora community and leading Oromo civil society organizations, urge that now is the time to live up to the expectations – and responsibility – that comes with it.
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Signatories:
Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Ass.
Oromo Community of Arizona, AZ
Oromo Community Ass. Of Chicago, IL
Oromo Community of Michigan, MI
Portland Oromo Community Ass., OG
Boston Oromo Community, MA
Oromo Community of Sioux Falls
Oromo Community of St. Louis, MO
Oromo Community of San Diego, CA
United Oromo Community of Georgia, GA
INC Oromo Community of Las Vegas, VA
Oromo Community of Memphis, TN
Oromo Community of Tampa Bay
Oromo Community of Jacksonville N. Florida, FL
Oromo Community of Seattle, WA
Oromo Community of Iowa, IO
Oromo Diaspora Association of New York, NY
Oromo community of Nashville, TN
Oromo Community of Northern California, CA
Union of Oromo Communities Germany
The Federation of Oromo Civic Organization in Australia