Through Oromiyaa’s Lens: Focusing on the greatest Oromo generation
By Leenjiso Horo |November 2013
Introduction:
The years 1950s-1980s were the birth of the greatest Oromo
generation. It was and still is the greatest generation as those
generations that established Gadaa system and as the generation that
fought in the defense of Oromiyaa against the Abyssinian colonialist
that was aided by the European powers of the time, among which were
Great Britain, Czarist Russia, Swiss, Italy, French, including Khedive
Ismail of Egypt and et cetera. The major factors that helped the
Abyssinians in the conquest of Oromiyaa were summarized by Earl Lytton
in his book the Stolen Desert as follow:
“Menelik seems to have operated with French technicians, French map
makers, French advice on the management of a standing army, and more
French advice as to holding captured province with permanent garrisons
of conscripted colonial troops. The French also armed his troops with
firearms and did much else to organize his campaigns. The Galla (Oromo)
were thus conquered by Habasha for the first time in recorded history.
Without massive European help the Galla (Oromo) would not have been
conquered at all.”
The second factor, probably the most important one, that helped
Abyssinians in the conquest of Oromiyaa, in addition to the above
mentioned was the decline of Gadaa System and with it, the weakening of
central national leadership-the national Office of Abbaa
Bokkuu/president and national Chaffee/parliament that oversee the
security of the nation and that mobilize the nation and the army to
defend the country in a case of outside threat. With the weakening of
national leadership, the periodic change of Gadaa leadership in every
eight years at every level was interrupted. As a consequence, regional
Abbaa Duulaas stayed in power longer than a periodic term limit of eight
years. In the process, some of them became wealthy and powerful
personalities and used wealth to raise their own army and used army to
control more land. Then through time, they gained political influence
over the people in their region. Finally, using wealth, military power,
and political influence, some of the Abbaa Gadaas usurped the power of
Gadaa office and declared themselves king in their respective region.
With this, many kingdoms appeared for the first time in the history of
the Oromo people and the elective office of Gadaa officials became
hereditary succession of the Kings’ and Queens’ families. With this, the
Oromo people lost the right to elect their leaders. Hence, the
establishment of kingdoms put to an end the government of people by the
people for people and from the people. Not only this, some of these
kingdoms became rivalries. Despite this, still others in other parts of
Oromiyaa remained Abbaa Duulaas. However, each of them was not strong
enough to defend itself. Because of this, each of them was defeated
separately one by one; region by region by the colonizing army of
Menelik II of Abyssinia.
The third factor that helped, encouraged, enabled, and facilitated
the condition for the conquest of Oromiyaa was the collaboration of some
Oromo leaders with king Menelik of Abyssinia- the sworn enemy of our
people and country. The collaborators always give aid and comfort,
guidance, and inspiration to the enemy for the conquest of their own
country. Furthermore, cooperation with an enemy occupation force in
one’s country weakens the nation and exposes it to the enemy. It must be
clear, therefore, doing business of any form or shape or association
with an enemy of one’s people is a betrayal of one’s country, of one’s
people, and a betrayal of a cause and a trust of one’s people. In the
conquest of Oromiyaa, it was those Oromo nationals who collaborated and
cooperated with Menelik that weakened the Oromo nation and so became a
vehicle for the conquest.
From the foregoing, it is clear, the Oromo people were conquered by
the combined forces of Europeans and the Abyssinian and the decline of
Gadaa political system and with it, the absence of collective national
leadership and finally the collaboration and cooperation of some Oromo
political leaders with the enemy. The Europeans provided superior modern
firepower as well as military strategists and political advisors to
King Menelik II had played a major part in the conquest. It was a war of
many nations conducted against one nation-the Oromo nation. The heroic
Oromo national figures among many who fought against Abyssinian colonial
war of conquest that was aided with Europeans powers of the time were:
Roobaa Bultum, Leenjisoo Diigaa, and Suufaa Kusoo in Arsii; Tufaa Munaa
in Tuulamaa (Central Oromiyaa); Abishee Garbaa and Mootii Jotee Tulluu
in Wallaggaa; Bal’aa Buubaa, Baker Waaree, Ibroo Shaxaa, Yaayyaa Alii
Siree, Mul’ataa Mudee, and Emir Abdullahi Hussein, (Harari)in Harargee;
Shaykh Tolaa in Wolloo, and et cetera. With the conquest, the colonizer
denied the Oromo people national leadership. It not only denied national
leadership but also regional and local leadership. Hence, the Oromo
nation had been with out national leadership for over a century. This
was ended with the establishment of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in
1973.
The birth of the greatest Oromo generation of leadership
The 1950s-1980s were the birth of the greatest Oromo new generation
of leadership. For the first time since the colonization, the
1950s-1980s generation collectively took an unparalleled national
commitment together to struggle for independence of Oromiyaa. In this
commitment, this greatest generation declared in its political Program
that it shall fight unto death without fear of peril. Its Political
program is not abstract and vague but it is concrete and a well-defined
program. With this, it established a political organization-the Oromo
Liberation Front (OLF), the organization with clear vision, goal,
objective, strategy, tactics and mass participation. The OLF is a
Pan-Oromo political organization. Its political program says the goal of
struggle is the liberation of Oromiyaa and the establishment of
Democratic Republic of Oromiyaa. For this, the greatest generation
promised to its people to fight in the fields, in the streets, in the
mountains, on the hills, in the valleys and villages of Oromiyaa. It
promised the Oromo nation that it shall never surrender the struggle for
the establishment of sovereign independent state of Oromiyaa. Indeed,
it was and still is a generation united by firmness of mind and common
purpose-independence of Oromiyaa and by common values: great heart,
courage, patriotism, duty, country, responsibility, and honor,
sacrifice, and commitment. It was and still is a generation of shared
vision and action. The men and women of this greatest Oromo generation
united, organized, and raised consciousness of their people that had
been divided by the colonial authorities for over a century. They have
done these not for fame, glory, or recognition but for the love of their
people and country. They were and still are nationalists of great
heart, determination and courage. They laid out a clear mission
statement to lead on the nation to independence and firmly adhered to it
without vacillation.
In this national liberation struggle of ours, thousands of this
greatest generation’s members had sacrificed their lives and thousands
more are languishing in the Ethiopian Empire’s concentration camps and
still more thousands are fighting in terrain and valleys of Oromiyaa.
These sacrifices were and are not for federalization of Ethiopia, nor
for democratization of it, but for the liberation of Oromiyaa and for
the establishment of national political power in it. Having established
national political power, then it is up to the Oromo people alone as it
is stated in the OLF Political program to decide, as a free and
independent people, whether to re-join other nations and nationalities
in some form of arrangement to live together or to opt to live
independently as free, independent sovereign state of Oromiyaa living
side by side with their neighbors in peace, harmony, brotherhood and
sisterhood.
Hence, it is clear that these men and women shared and worked toward a
common purpose-independence of Oromiyaa. In this struggle they stood as
one. They spoke as one. They clenched their fists as one declaring
“bilisummaa, freedom.” They sung the Oromo songs, “Alaabaa Oromoo
olqabaa kaasaa,” “Alaabaa Oromiyaa ibsituu dukkanaa,” and “Alaabaa
Oromiyaa alaabaa biyya tiyyaa” together as one, in one voice. It is a
generation that lightened the darkness and opened up the bright future.
It is because of this greatest Oromo generation, today the light of
freedom is shining brightly over Oromiyaa. This struggle began without
money; without arms; without friends, without ammunitions; and this was
the situation when the contest began.
It was and still is the best and brightest Oromo generation. The
members of this generation have carried and still carrying the torch of
light in their hearts. They were and still are greatest men and women
who stood and still standing tall in the face of adversity and
difficulty. They are nationalists of courage in doing what is right
regardless of the circumstances. In the struggle, they said what they
meant and meant what they said. Here, what this generation had and still
has in common been and is a simple truth that there has been and still
is a complete harmony of its thought, its word and its action. These
means its thought is in correspondance with what it says and does. It is
a generation that has spoken and still speaks in no uncertain language
or phrase about the need for independence. It is a generation that has
refused to change its political position as rapid wind continues
changing its directions. Because, in this generation there were and
still are greatest men and women who utilized/utilize reason and logic
to enable them to view situation they faced/face objectively and thus
responded to them in a rational way. The names of the heroic members of
this greatest Oromo generation among the thousands that passed away and
martyred are the following: General Waaqoo Guutuu, General Taddassaa
Birruu, Elemoo Qilxuu, Muhee Abdoo, Haji Roobalee Turee, Gazaahenyi
Kassahun, Kebedee Demisee, Yegazuu Waqee, Haaji Adam Saaddoo, Haaji Adam
Jilo, Mammoo Mezamir, Dr. Haile Fidaa, Baaroo Tumsaa, Abdulahi Yusuf,
Sheek Bakri Saphalo, Qees Guddinna Tumsaa, Magarsaa Barii(C), Saanyaa
Argoo, Col. Alamuu Qixeessaa, Ahmed Bunaa(nom de guerre Goota Bobbaasi),
Col. Hailuu Raggaasaa, Jaarraa Abbaa Gadaa, Guutamaa Hawas, Mul’isi
Abbaa Gadaa, Nadhii Gammadaa, Hayle Maariyam Gammadaa, Laggasee Wagii,
Sisaay Ibsaa, Dr. Sheekh Mohammad Rashaad Abdullee, Sheekh Muusaa
Baatii, and et cetera.
The Oromo females in the Oromo liberation army
The Oromo Women of the greatest Oromo generation in revolutionary
Oromiyaa have been playing a significant role in national liberation
struggle. Since the occupation of Oromiyaa, the Oromo women have been
resisting the occupying forces. Specially, with the establishment of the
Oromo Liberation Front the Oromo women have become very active. Some of
them joined the Oromo Liberation Front(OLF), many remained passionate
supporters. Those females who joined the front underwent extensive
training in arms and instructions in weapon and combat techniques from
their peers. Then they were enlisted in the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)
as guerrilla fighters to fight to drive out Abyssinian colonialist. Ever
since the establishment of the OLF, they have been playing a key role
in it both as leaders, as political cadres, as commandos, as security
officers, as guerrilla fighters and commanders, as nurses, and as
artists in the Oromo Liberation Army. Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is the
armed wing of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) fighting against the
Ethiopian/Abyssinian colonial occupation. After the training, these
women picked up guns and went to the mountains and hills of Oromiyaa to
fight the enemy. They engaged in gun fighting including hand-to-hand
combat with the colonial army. These were and still are the patriotic
women who nursed the infancy of freedom. Indeed, these Oromo women rose
up to smash the shackles of Abyssinian colonialism that bound the nation
for so long in humiliation. This marked the beginning of the arrival of
the new generation of the Oromo women freedom fighters. Here are the
names of a few nationalist Oromo women commanders and fighters in the
Oromo Liberation Army:
1. Saartuu Yusouf
2. Ibsituu Magarsaa
3. Oromiyaa Mohammad
4. Aayyaantuu Daagaa
5. Dursituu Boranaa
6. Kuulanii Boruu
7. Iftuu Hundee (Na’imaa Sheika)
8. Daraartuu Roobaa (Faxumaa Sh. Jamal)
9. Obsituu Obsaa (Zubeyda Abdulee)
10. Kuuloo Jaalataa
11. Iftuu Mohammed
12. Ayyaantuu Boruu (Faxumaa Muftii)
13. Siranee Obsaa
14. Leeliftuu Leelisaa
15. Iftuu Yaadataa
16. Handaartuu Ibsaa
17. Hawwii Asafaa
18. Jibbanii Dhuunfaa
19. Juukii Bareentoo (a member of Central Committee)
20. Arbii Miilii
21. Asili Oromoo
22. Aradoolaa Abdallaa
23. Kadijjaa Abdullee (nom de guerre Ragaatuu Robaa)
24. Caaltuu Sabaa
25. Waarituu Dhaabaa
26. Lalisee Nadhii
27. Kuuloo Caalaa
28. Murattuu Dalloo
29. Burqituu Waabee
30. Qananii Halloo
32. Daran Mohammad
33. Obsee Ayyaana.
34. Gammachiiftuu Urfo
35. Falamtuu Bulee
36. Boontuu Abdii
37. Boharsituu Obsaa
38. Taliilee Bareentoo, and et cetera.
Saartuu Yusouf was the first female who joined OLA in 1976 and was
the first female combatant killed while fighting the enemy in 1977.
Juukii Bareentoo was a highly admired freedom fighter. Both Saartuu and
Juukii were martyred in the fighting for freedom of their people. Juukii
was martyred in 1984. These revolutionary nationalist women fought with
courage, self-sacrifice and with exceptional bravery for nothing less
than the independence of Oromiyaa. Among the above names, some were
martyred and others are still alive and in the struggle.
The Oromo women were and still are freedom fighters of Oromiyaa; the
warriors for independence. They are fearless ferocious fighters both in
political and armed struggle. As guerrilla fighters, they have
undertaken military operation, attacking military installations, police
outposts, killing the enemies and capturing arms and ammunitions. In
these ways, the heroic Oromo women have shattered a common misconception
at a point of time which led many to believe that freedom fighters just
had to be males and females only belongs to kitchen. Freedom fighter is
a freedom fighter regardless of gender; soldier is a soldier regardless
of gender; Politician is a politician regardless of gender, artist is
an artist regardless of gender and etc. The Oromo women have been and
are in all these fields and more. The courage, the determination, the
commitment and self-confidence of these Oromo women freedom fighters in
combat are awakening the patriotic spirit of the Oromo men and women
today. The nation has to tap into this section of the society. These
Oromo women fighters stand distinguished in the light of their heroism,
courage, and bravery. For their heroism, courage, bravery, and
commitment they have been and are admired, respected, honored and
crowned by their peers and the Oromo nation with the undying fame and
glory.
The need for women revolutionary armed wing within OLA
Now, it is time for the Oromo nationalists to establish a Women
guerrilla wing or unit in the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) that involves
in the political and armed struggle and at the same time involves in the
awakening of Oromo women’s revolutionary political consciousness. In
our national struggle, we need Oromo females in the political Bureau and
in Central Committee. In military wing, it is vitally important to put
females too as commanders of divisions where most decisions are made.
All successful liberation movements known in history had done this and
all failed ones had not done this. It is easier for women to politicize,
mobilize, recruit, and organize women. The establishment of such women
fighting force will change for ever for the first time in the history of
Oromo national struggle ushering a new era of women’s full
participation in the war of national liberation and in political and
military decision making in the affairs of the nation. We have to bring
about this change in our struggle. Half of the cross-section of our
society is women and half is men. Liberation can only be successful when
both cross-section of the society fully participate in the struggle for
national liberation. For this, it is time to make both to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder in arms fighting in this historical war of nation
liberation against the colonialist occupation army.
Of course, not all female supporters of Oromo independence are
guerrilla fighters. The Oromo women heroines in the liberation struggle
include those women who have been and still are supporting freedom
fighters with food, shelter, funds; who nursed the wounded, the sick,
and hid weapons, provide information about the enemies, and those who
have willingly given their sons and daughters to fight in the war of
national liberation. This includes those who participate in
demonstrations, rallies and in political work. From the very beginning
the Oromo women supported the struggle. Because of this, many women
risked imprisonment, torture, and death. These women are the mothers of
freedom fighters. Oromo women are strong in gathering intelligence and
information, in recruitments, and in harassment of collaborators and in
making funny of Loyalists of the empire (as the Oromo nationals in
Calgary, Canada and Columbus, Ohio in USA exposed the ODF-the
collaborator, exemplifies), and much better in moral boosting and
encouragement for the freedom fighters. History has shown time and again
that patriotic women always subject cowards, passive spectators, and
the enemy collaborators to public humiliation than men.
In general, the 1950s-1980s were and are heroic men and heroic women
who single-mindedly resolved to fight to liberate Oromiyaa or to die. In
this struggle, many died and many are still alive. Since the beginning
of colonization, Oromo nationals have been struggling selflessly and
gloriously, banishing all ignoble thoughts and ideas of betraying their
country, their people, their comrades, and their Kayyoo/objective of the
struggle from their minds. For these, all eyes in Oromiyaa have been
and still are turned to them. On them depends the voyage and direction
of the voyage and the defeat of TPLF colonist barbarian. For these, the
names of these heroic men and women will remain honored for the
generations to come as the freedom fighters for the independence of
Oromiyaa.
The Struggle, the sacrifice, and national identity
By now, we should be familiar with the three historic events that
took place sometimes in 1966 and in 1980. The two events were in 1966
and one was in 1980. The first two meetings were the Maccaa-Tulamaa
Association (MTA) public gathering in the towns of Itayyaa and in
Dheeraa, both in Arsii in 1966. The Itayyaa mass gathering was on May
15, 1966. It was organized by Ahmad Buna (nom de guerre Goota Bobbaas as
a member of the OLF leadership and as fighter in the OLA), a member of
MTA and one of the founding members and leaders of the OLF. The
attendance was estimated to be over hundred thousand peasants from
across the region. The keynote speakers at the gathering was Haji
Robalee Turee, one of leaders of MTA, a well versed and a leading oral
historian, a gifted orator, a great patriotic Oromo nationalist, and
visionary. It has been said that Haji Robalee Turee had made a
historical speech, a speech reminding the public about the King Menelik
II’s genocidal conquest of Hararge and his committed mass extermination
known as Calii Calanqoo at Calanqoo and the conquest of Arsii by
reminding about the mutilation of breasts of women and the right hands
of men and children at Aannoolee, and the mass extermination committed
at Azule where a mountain of piled up bones are still found today and
the Abyssinian use of smallpox as a biological warfare to annihilate the
population of Arsii. The use of smallpox against the people severely
weakened the Arsii population. It was said that Haji Robalee told the
public at the gathering that after the people were weakened by the
spread of smallpox through the population, the Abyssinian conquerors led
by king Menelik II took advantage of the condition and went on a
killing spree of the population without even sparing women, children,
and old. It was Abyssinian war of genocide against the people of the
region. Coupled with these were the looting and destruction of property,
rape, and murder. In this new attack, crops were destroyed, and
hundreds of thousand of herds of livestock were looted and driven off
back to Abyssinia. Hereafter, colonial military administration was
imposed upon the remaining population and the land. With this, Arsii
Oromo lost their independence and humiliated as all Oromo in all regions
of Oromiyaa. Upon the surrender of Arsii, the Abyssinian conquers
implemented a scorched to earth policy- a punitive destruction of
socio-political, economic, cultural and military structure of the Gada
System so as to breakdown the will of the people from rising again to
fight as well as to disrupt and destroy the normal life of the
population. On the sight of Galma Abbaa Gadaas, the garrison towns were
built so as to erase the memory of that institution from the minds of
the colonized people. After the conquest, the Oromo Arsii was legally
barred from owning a piece of land and so they were turned into
“gabar”/tenant. With this the Abyssinian conquerors erected or
established master-serf relationship in Arsii. Hence, the colonial
conquest opened the door to the darkest chapter in the history of Arsii
and the rest of Oromo in which the Oromo nation still today found
itself.
It was said that Haji Robalee Turee told the public that it was the
lack of unity of the Oromo leaders of the time that gave the opportunity
for the Abyssinians in the conquering of Oromiyaa. It was said that
Haji Robalee Turee in that gathering called upon all Oromo to unite in
order to drive away the colonialists so as to recover their lost
independence. Among lines of his speech that stands out to-date is the
line that is often quoted that reads, “Streams join together to form a
river, people also join together to be a nation to become a country.”
This is a daring and profound political statement of the time. As it is
clear, this was a call for unity and struggle for the liberation of the
nation and establishment of independent country- Oromiyaa. This
statement was made at a dark time when it was a crime and punishable by
death to speak about Oromo unity and forming of their own country.
Indeed, Haji Robalee Turee was a revolutionary patriot of the time. He
was a daring figure and passionate Oromo nationalist. Even today after
forty eight years of Haji Robalee Turee’s call for unity and struggle
for independence, we are still calling for the same unity to liberate
the nation and establish independent country-Oromiyaa. It is time now to
practically implement this unity. The responsibility for it is still
solely rests on the shoulders of the greatest Oromo generation that
started the national liberation struggle for independence, in the first
place. This greatest generation is the pillar of the struggle for
independence of Oromiyaa. It should be an iron pillar. If this greatest
generation fails to firmly and strongly unite, the struggle will fail to
achieve its objective and the life of colonial occupation will be
extended.
The second meeting was in the town of Dheera. The Dheera public
gathering was on October 15, 1966. It was a very significant one and a
turning point and it set a milepost for future Oromo national liberation
struggle. It has been said tens of thousands Oromo nationals of
different religious faiths from across different regions of Oromiyaa
were converged at Dheera, despite the regime’s erected barriers to stop
the gathering. At this mass gathering, the keynote speaker was General
Taddasaa Birruu. The General was said to have made an emotionally
arousing speech on various topics including education, health, roads,
communication, poverty, landholding system, exploitation, unity, the
right of the people, self-reliance and et cetera. As it has been said,
the General specially spoke extensively at length on the unity and
self-reliance. It has also been said that the General told the public
that all of them are Oromo and that what runs through their veins is the
Oromo blood; that they breathe the air of their county; that they walk
on their land and that they till their land but they do not control it.
It was said the General went on saying that you do not take home the
fruits of your labor. Note, this speech was made during the time when
the Oromo peasants were legally obligated to transfer 75% of what they
produce to the absentee colonial landlords who lived in the cities. It
was said that the General cautioned the public that if the condition
continues indefinitely, a time may come when one may not even be able to
find a burial place. In that public gathering, the General called upon
the Oromo people to rise up, stand up and stand together as one people
in order to recover and control their own land and their own destiny.
Furthermore, it has also been said that the General went on reminding
the people that they pay land tax but no roads; that they pay health
tax but no clinics and hospitals; and that they pay education tax but no
schools for their children and et cetera. Having discussed all these,
it has been said the General finally disclosed the political objective
of the Association to be the restoration of the inalienable rights of
the Oromo people.
Note this speech was made during the turbulent time in the Rift
Valley. It was a serious conflict between the regime and the people in
the region. It was a time when rich individuals were grabbing land in
the Rift Valley region as the demand for haricot beans or “boloqqee” in
the world market soared because of its shortage and the consequence of
worldwide surge in its price. The Rift Valley is well-known for its high
yielding of haricot beans or Navy beans. Haricot beans are rich in
protein, folic acid, iron, B complex, magnesium and potassium. Magnesium
is a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and it controls
blood-sugar disorder; potassium is good in lowering blood pressure and
etc. For these, haricot beans have high demand globally. In order to
reap the benefit of high price, the Abyssinian colonial regime told
millions of the people living in Rift Valley to leave the region and go
to Bale in order to use this region for farming of haricot beans with a
modern means of farming. It was actually a time when tractors invaded
the region. The land was given to rich Nafxanyas and to their children
who graduated from Haramaya University and from American and European
Universities with degree in Agriculture. The Development Bank was
instructed to finance those who want to invest in the farming of haricot
beans. The farming of haricot beans was a lucrative business of the
time. At the time, Ras Mesfin Sileshi was ‘Enderasse’ of Shawa
Province/Governor General of Shawa Province, representing the Emperor to
which Rift Valley “belonged.” To appeal about the eviction of the
population from their land the elders were chosen from the region and
sent to Finfinnee/Addis Ababa to appeal to Mesfin Sileshi to reverse the
eviction. The elders were followed with thousands of peasants to
Finfinnee. It has been said that having heard their appeal, “Ras Mesfin
Sileshi, pulled a pencil out of his pocket. Pointed it to the elders and
angrily spoke. This pencil is mine; it belongs to me; I can keep it, if
I want to. I can throw it away, if I want to; I can sell it, if I want
to. I can give it to you, if I want to. But, you do not have right to
complain about what belongs to me. Similarly, the land belongs to the
government. If government asks you to leave you must leave; if
government allows you to stay, you stay. Government can do whatever it
wants to do with its land.” Having heard the negative response to their
appeal, one of the elders was said to have asked Ras Mesfin Sileshi
this: “Sir, we understand as you said this pencil is yours now, but
before it became yours to whom did it belong? And in what way it came to
your possession? You said the land belongs to government but before the
government owned it who owned it? And how the government got
it?”(Translation into English is mine. The interpreter of the languages
for Ras Mesfin Sileshi in Amharic and for the Oromo elders in Oromiffaa
in that encounter was Pastor Gebremichael Falama; now lives in USA). It
was said that Ras Mesfin was irritated with these lines of questions and
called in security and those elders were dragged out, beaten,
handcuffed, and thrown into jail. Those thousands who were waiting
outside of Mesfin Sileshi’s office to hear the result of their appeal
were also beaten, broken up and driven off by police and the security
forces. The confrontation between the regime and the people, however,
continued. People refused to leave. While the confrontation was going
on, the 1974 came about and the Haile Sillassie regime and his
government were overthrown. It was at this time those elders released
from jail after many years in jail.
Again to be recalled, this was a time where the roaring of guns from
Balee Mountains and hills by General Waqoo Guutuu were shocking the
empire rulers; and the Arfan Qal’oo movement in Hararghe was on the
surge, and Obbo. Ibsaa Guutama’s article, “Who is Ethiopian?” came out
questioning the very foundation and the existence of the Ethiopian
empire and Ethiopiawinet putting the colonial authorities on notice that
the Oromo people are not Ethiopians and that Ethiopia is a prison-house
of nations and nationalities were forced into it. It was Obbo Ibsaa
Guutama’s article that influenced the students at Haile Silessie I
University to understand the nature of Ethiopia and its creation and
particularly influenced Wallelign Mekonnen to write “On the Question of
nationalities in Ethiopia,” arguing that “Ethiopia is not one nation.”
These were followed by the Oromo students’ article, “The Oromo: Voice
against Tyranny.” All these contributed to the political views of the
time and the establishment of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
After the public meeting, it has been told that it was a lunch time.
For the lunch bulls were slaughtered by elders who follow Moslem
religious faith. The General was well aware that in Ethiopian empire,
Christians do not eat meat of animal if slaughtered by Moslems and vice
versa. With this knowledge, it was said General Taddasaa Birruu to have
told the public before the lunch was served, “I know some of us are
Muslim; some of us are Christian, and some of us may follow different
religions, however, all of us are Oromo; we were neither born as
Christian nor as Muslim but we were born first as Oromo. After the
remark, it has been said that General Taddassaa had to say this, “Let us
eat; it is slaughtered by Oromo as a sign of respect for their guests.
This is the Oromo culture.” It has been said that every body agreed with
this concept; then all ate. What came out of this was the
re-affirmation and the re-ascertainment of the collective Oromo national
identity, “We are Oromo, First.” In another word, each said in his/her
mind, soul, and heart, “I am Oromo, First” rather than religious
identification or identification with imposed artificial colonial
identity: Ethiopian.
Having heard what had happened in Dheera, Emperor Haile Sellassie I
and his government were enraged, shocked and panicked and in the panic
the Emperor and his government took a drastic punitive action against
the leaders, the members of the Association and the Association itself.
Some members were sentenced to death by public hanging (e.g. Captain
Mamo Mezimir); others were sentenced to serve short to long term in
prison (e.g. Col Alemuu Qixeessaa, Haile Mariam Gammadaa etc); and still
some were sentenced to life in prison (e.g. G/ Taddasaa Birruu). The
Association was then banned or outlawed. Despite these, this Oromo
greatest generation never abandoned the kaayyoo/objective they started
with. The statement of General Taddasaa Birruu set the stage for the
establishment of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
The courage and martyrdom on Aril 15, 1980
April 15, 1980 was the martyrs’ Day, popularly known as Guyyaa
Gootootaa Oromoo. Again the martyrdom of the whole leadership of the OLF
on Aril 15, 1980 was another milepost in cementing the Oromo national
identity with their blood. They follow different religious beliefs: some
were Christians, some were Muslims, and some were Waqeffta, all came
from different regions of Oromiyaa. What they had in common was being an
Oromo. They had Oromummaa in their bones, in their soul, in their blood
and in their veins. While they were on a diplomatic mission to Somalia,
they ended up in the area controlled by the anti-Oromo Western Somali
Liberation Front (WSLF). The WSLF approached these Oromo Liberation
Front leaders, first as friends then turned a vicious enemy and rounded
them up. It inquired of them as to their identity. These leaders told it
that they are Oromo and members of Oromo Liberation Front on a
diplomatic mission to Somalia. Then it inquired of their religious
beliefs as to which of them are Muslim and which of them are Christian.
It asked Muslims to stand on one side and Christians and the rest on the
other. These leaders refused to do so. The purpose of the question was
to identify Muslims from other religion believers so as to kill non
Muslims. The intention of WSLF was very clear to this Oromo leadership.
This was the choice the nationalist Oromo leaders were faced. Knowing
the consequence, they all rejected such an offer of WSLF and stood
together unanimously declaring that they are neither Muslims nor
Christians; that they are Oromo; that they are Oromo freedom fighters;
and that they are members of the Oromo Liberation Front(OLF). They
choose Oromo as their first and foremost identity. The Oromo followers
of Muslim faith knew very well that if they identify themselves as
Muslims, they would be spared from death by their captors, but, they
chose to face the fate of death together with their fellow comrades of
another religious faith rather than betray them, the struggle, the goal
of the struggle, and the national identity. Again, all of them could
have told their captors that they are Muslims, but this choice is the
betrayal of their national identity-the Oromo identity. Hence, they
cheerfully chose death over betraying their national identity, the
struggle, and the Oromo nations. They struggled together and so they
died together. Above everything else, these nationalists set a shining
example of faithful devotion to the oneness of Oromo and to Oromoness or
Oromummaa. By so doing, they chose their unity unto death by choosing
death over betraying their national identity and by choosing death over
division on religious ground. And they were murdered and buried in one
grave. This is the first time in the history of national liberation
movements that a leadership of a Liberation Front was killed and buried
together in one grave. It was in this way the whole leadership of the
OLF were martyred. In their death and in their blood they cemented the
Oromo unity. In their rejection of WSLF’s offer, these leaders again
re-affirmed and re-asserted their national identity by declaring: “We
are Oromo, First” and accepted the consequence for it. Their names are
as follow: Magarsaa Barii,(nom de guerre Bariisoo Waabii, General
Secretary of the OLF) Demisee Tacaanee (nom de guerre Gadaa Gammadaa),
Abboomaa Mitikkuu (nom de guerre Abbaa Xiiqii), Yiggazuu Bantii (nom de
guerre Doorii Barii), Falmataa Gadaa(aka Umar, Caccabsaa); Fafamaa
Doyyoo; Irra’anaa Qacalee; Dhaddachaa Mul’ata; Dhaddachaa Boruu; and
Marii Galan. Here, one must understand that we do not know the names of
tens of thousands of the Oromo farmers, peasants, and their sons and
daughters who fought and perished in this national liberation struggle
and the names of those tens of thousands that had perished in the
Dergue’s notorious torture Chambers. And of course, we do not still know
the names of hundreds of thousands of Oromo nationals who have already
been perished in the Tigrayan regime’s notorious torturing concentration
camps. The TPLF’s arrest, torture, mass murder, extermination and the
eviction of the Oromo from their land are still continuing.
Here are also some of the living members of the greatest Oromo
generation who have been in the struggle for a long time without
despair, without vacillation, and without betraying the struggle as wind
changes its direction. These nationalists have never staggered and
never shaken from the political position that they held as pressure
mounted on them both from internal and external actors to persuade them
to abandon the struggle for independence of Oromiyaa. These are
nationalists of iron will, great strength, firmness of mind and
determination to carry on national liberation struggle. Their names
among the thousands are: Oromiyaa Mohammad, Aslii Oromoo (aka Aslii
Mohammad), Arfaasee Gammadaa, Galaasaa Dilboo(the former General
Secretary of OLF), Ibsaa Guutamaa (expanded Qubee throughout Oromiyaa),
Damisee K. Sardaa, Mulugetaa Moosisaa, Abiyyuu Galataa, Dhugaasaa
Bakakkoo(Commander of OLA for years), Dr. Mekuria Bulcha, Abduljalil
Abdalla, Dotii Turaa, Tarfaa Dibaabaa, Lubee Birruu, Kadir Said, and et
cetera. These men and women are among many thousands freedom fighters
who have been in this struggle since the beginning of this national
liberation struggle. Their services to the Oromo nation and their
struggle range from engaging in armed struggle to jail serving time in
torture chambers of Dergue as prisoners of conscience and to informing
and educating international communities about the Oromo nation and their
struggle for independence among whom Dr. Mekuria Bulcha singularly
stands out. In this Oromo national liberation struggle for independence,
Dr. Mekuria Bulcha is the only person traversing the continents
advocating for the cause of his country and his people in the like Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam. I hope the other
Oromo intellectuals will follow suit and go beyond paper presentations
at OSA conferences to a direct and active participation by taking an
active advocacy role for independence of Oromiyaa.
As it is clear, the Oromo nationalists’ dedication to the struggle
for the independence of Oromiyaa have already nurtured and inspired new
generation of freedom fighters- the Qubee generation. Today, the Qubee
generation — audacious, fearless and full of energy and love for
struggle for independence of Oromiyaa — are in the forefront. Indeed, it
is the men and women of the greatest Oromo generation that gave voice
to the Oromo people and put Oromiyaa on the map, created Qubee, united
the nation, raised high the banner of independence, and the Oromo
national consciousness to be proud of being Oromo. It is a generation
that has already won the war of political propaganda against the Oromo
Loyalists of the Abyssinian empire and their foreign sponsors. Hence,
because of this generation’s sacrifice and its collective strength the
struggle has now passed a milestone on the road to independence. Indeed,
it is a generation of lofty achievement. These are what make this
generation to stand out as the greatest Oromo generation since
colonization of Oromiyaa. In order to carryout this national liberation
struggle to its final conclusion requires a politically conscious and a
highly motivated new generation of fighting force and population.
It must be understood, however, some members of the generation have
failed to measure up to the greatness. They regressed and fallout or
dropped out from the struggle. In the beginning, these individuals
joined the liberation struggle as nationalists preaching about
independence of Oromiyaa and in the end they turned into political
crooks preaching federalization of the Empire state of Ethiopia. They
have become a shame to the nation. The former members of Oromo Dialogue
Forum and the now the new constellation of ideologically and politically
in the Abyssinian camp and singing “Ethiopian empire federalization”
song namely the Oromo Democratic Front (ODF) has been and are those who
have failed to measure up to the greatness of that generation. They
abandoned the struggle, the struggle they initially joined. Having said
this, however, I have no desire or intention to bury their positive
contribution that they might have made in this struggle. The ODF has
been crisscrossing American, Canadian, and European cities preaching
about peace in Ethiopia and Horn of Africa, but it failed to understand
that we have been fighting for independence for more than forty years
against the colonialist of our country. The struggle for independence of
Oromiyaa is a struggle for peace and dignity of the people and of
course we cherish peace, peace in Horn of Africa, peace in Africa, and
the world over, peace with dignity and independence but we will never
surrender our struggle for independence to purchase peace with any
external or internal force or power. This is a principle upon which the
greatest Oromo generation started armed struggle for independence
against the colonizer fifty years ago and have sacrificed their lives
for it. The recent declaration of “I am Oromo, First” by Ob. Jawar
Mohammad to Femi OKe’s question “Are you Oromo, first or Ethiopian
first” on Al Jazeera Stream is an oath by new Qubee generation to
continue the struggle for independence that commenced by the greatest
Oromo generation. Hence, no a betrayal from our ranks can force us to
surrender after so long struggle and so much sacrifice of men, women and
children for the independence of their country.
It is important to use a parable to understand the problem the Oromo
struggle is going through today. Consider an analogy of a moving train.
In its journey, a train moves on until its final destination. At every
station on the journey, one gets on it and another one gets off it, the
train, however, continues on until it reaches its destination. This is
true with a national liberation struggle. It is for this, a national
liberation struggle resembles a moving train and so as a train it also
keeps on moving. National liberation struggle is a protracted struggle.
It goes on a long journey. On its journey, it does not have a quick fix.
There is no a shortcut; no easy way out; it takes a long, difficult and
tiresome journey to get to its destination. As a result, some
individuals get tired of it and quit the journey. Hence, there are
quitters who quite the struggle because they feel tired to fight on and
so choose to surrender. However, the determined and resolute ones
continue the journey to its destination. Again, there are also new ones
who get on the train. The struggle, however, continues on until its
final destination. This problem should not be a surprise to Oromo
nationalists because the Oromo national liberation struggle is facing
the same problem those national liberation struggles faced before.
The empire Loyalists attack on the greatest Oromo generation
We need to understanding the genesis of attack. First, the attack
begins with the attack on the Kaayyoo of the generation. Then,
collaboration with the enemy against the Kaayyoo followed. Here, one
needs to understand that to collaborate with the enemy is not new.
Collaboration with the enemy was here yesterday; it is here today; and
it will be here tomorrow. It has been around throughout history.
Beginning with the colonization of the south, Oromiyaa included, the
Abyssinian colonial rulers promoted a policy of rapid Abyssinianization
of the children of the colonized peoples. First, Finfinnee was renamed
Addis Ababa to be the Abyssinianization city of the empire. It has been
made the epicenter of political power of the empire from where the
Abyssinian empire state’s political elites have been exercising their
power outward. With this, attacks on the Oromo people and their very
conception of themselves (Oromummaa-Oromoness) was started and still
going on. Abyssinians despised Oromummaa and scoffed at it. This was
followed with the attack on their culture, their language, their
religion, and their institutions. Attempt to replace Oromummaa by
Abyssinianization/Ethiopianization or Itoophiyaawinnati has been
undertaken at every level over years in schools, courts, bureaucracy,
mass media, music, sports, and etc. It was in this way; some Oromo
children were melted into Abyssinian political culture and became
propagators of its politics of empire federalization. Such Oromo
individuals and groups have been casting and re-casting themselves as
“Oromo-Ethiopians” to fit the Abyssinian political ethos. Hence these
individuals or groups have become “Ethiopians” in the Oromo mask. The
Abyssinians call such individuals by various names such as “Xiruu
Oromo/good Oromo,” “temaanyi Oromo/faithful Oromo,” and “yeselaxanee
Oromo/civilized Oromo,” and recently even went to the extent of calling
them “yeEthiopia Mandela/Mandela of Ethiopia” and et cetera.
The Abyssinian colonial empire raised such children of colonized
people on a staple political diet, a political diet that has become
dangerous to the Oromo struggle. The diet anaesthetized them and made
them dormant, obedient, loyal, Ethiopian law observers, and yes men and
women to
any question put to them by Abyssinians or external forces. It was for
these reasons they lost negotiations at London Conference. Today, it is
these groups or individuals who are fiercely fighting with all their
resources for “Ethiopian citizenship” and its “citizenship rights” and
it is these groups that have been clinging tenaciously to the political
position of Ethiopian empire federalization. Recently, a representative
of Abyssinianized Oromo groups the ODF has started a political campaign
with violence hitherto unknown in the Oromo society. This is exemplified
by the ODF’s violence against the Oromo nationalists in Calgary, Canada
(August 31, 2013).The question is why it took this line. The reason is
simple; it inherited from the Abyssinian culture. Violence and
intimidation are the Abyssinian way. With a few exceptions, the majority
of its members are the former Dergue cadres and functionaries.
Choosing sides: Patriots, Loyalists and Neutralists
Throughout history to date, history has been witnessing three camps
of nationals in every national liberation struggle or in every
revolutionary war against colonial empire. These are the camps of
Patriots, of Loyalists and of the neutralists. Since the waging of the
wars of national liberation struggle, the Oromo people have seen these
three camps of Oromo nationals: Ethiopian Loyalists, neutralists, and
the Oromo patriotic nationalists. The questions then are who are the
Loyalists? Who are neutralists? And who are patriots?
Here the issue is based on whether to support the War of national
liberation for Independence of Oromiyaa or remain loyal to the empire or
remain neutral. Some Oromo nationals could not decide which side to
choose and remained neutrals as the war of national liberation
continues; as genocide is committed on their people and as their country
is mutilated by the enemy. These are called neutralists. Such nationals
stand aloof from their people’s struggle; they stand on the sidelines
looking on silently as the enemy annihilates their people; they are
silent observers; a cold blooded ones. Neutralists always wait for a
winner of a contest to ally with. The neutralists accommodate the
stronger or whom they perceive to be a stronger. There are many such
Oromo individuals in the Diaspora. But you must be warned that your
neutrality or your silence will not protect you when you are asked by
the Oromo people as to what you did to help them in the time of their
trails and tribulations. Neutrality or silence cannot be an answer.
Martin Niemoller, a German Protestant pastor, described the danger of
neutrality or silence during the Nazi’s extermination of communists,
socialists, labor unions, the Jews, the hippies and etc in Europe in
this terms:
“In Germany first they [Nazis] came for the communists, and I did not
speak out, because I was not a communist. Then they came for the
socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a socialist. Then
they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out, because I
was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not
speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for Catholics, and I
did not speak out, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
The moral of the story must be clear. Its lesson is simple. It
entails as a citizen of a nation, nationals have individual and
collective responsibility. If something wrong is done, the nationals
must speak out as individual and as a collective. If not individually
and collectively the nationals are responsible for the wrong and be held
accountable for it the same as the one who did wrong. Here to make it
clear, since coming to powers the Ethiopian colonial regime of TPLF/EPDM
has been and is committing atrocious crimes against the Oromo people
and their country. It has been and still is arresting, torturing,
killing, committing mass murder and evicting the Oromo people from their
land and selling and leasing their land in the global market to the
global and local land grabbers. If you do not fight out these or if you
keep silence or make business with this regime you are aiding and
abetting the enemy through your silence or through doing business with
it for selfish gain. Everyone must understand clearly that to be
neutral, to be passive is to collaborate with what is going on. For
these, you are equally responsible for the crime. You will be held
responsible for your action; the action through your silence or doing
business with the enemy. You can never escape from such crime.
Most Oromo nationals, however, have chosen sides. Those who support
the independence of Oromiyaa from Ethiopia are known as Patriots;
nationalists. These include the broad masses of the Oromo people, the
freedom fighters, the supporters, and the sympathizers of the struggle
for independence. The patriots fight a people’s war; a people’s war (PW)
is a protracted war of liberation. OLF is such an organization of
patriotic forces. It is for this, the OLF is indistinguishable form the
Oromo people.
Those who choose to support empire “federalization,” or its
“democratization” are known as Loyalists of the empire. Hence, Loyalists
are those who collaborate with empire to maintain it. The Ethiopian
empire has produced many Loyalists, and bystanders through promotion of
Ethiopia as the “opium of a colonized people,” a drug to prevent them
from national political awareness as the Oromo nationalists and the
Oromo people are in the national liberation struggle. In this way,
Ethiopian Loyalists have been anesthetized to colonial injustices and so
they became collaborators. It is these collaborators who have been
subverting Oromo national liberation struggle by prioritizing profit or
self-interest over patriotism. Such categories of groups have fallen
into a state of insensibility to the worsening condition imposed upon
Oromiyaa and its people by the TPLF.
As noted in the above paragraph, those who oppose independence of
Oromiyaa from Ethiopia are known as Empire Loyalists. Some Loyalists
actively and openly collaborate with the enemy; they advocate for the
political position of the Ethiopian empire elites. They have been and
are the reformists of the empire. They make alliance with the strategic
enemy of their country and people. Such Loyalists are represented by the
Oromo Democratic Front (ODF). Most Loyalists who oppose the
independence of Oromiyaa have a close business or political ties to
Ethiopia and friendship or association with Ethiopian elites. There is a
high concentration of Loyalists in Diaspora. These loyalists stand idly
by, silently approving and loudly applauding the TPLF policy as it mows
down their people. These are extreme loyalists with no soul, no inner
convictions, no moral and ethical code to follow. Such individuals have
already been wormed their way inside the social, political, community,
sport and civic, and other Oromo organizations to plague practice of
passivity and spectatorship within the members so as not to support the
struggle for independence of Oromiyaa. Besides these category of
Loyalists, however, many Loyalists agree with the Oromo patriots that
Ethiopia is a colonial empire, that the Oromo people have suffered and
still suffering at the hands of the Abyssinian/Ethiopian colonial rulers
but these Loyalist collaborators hope, wish, and believe that a
peaceful reconciliation with Ethiopian government is possible through
“federalization,” “democratization,” and “citizenship, and citizenship
rights.”
Furthermore, there are also some empires Loyalists those who secretly
infiltrate the nationalist camps. Their purpose is to work from within
the organizations to sow seeds of discord and confusion to create
vacillation and then division within the rank of nationalists. To reach
this goal, they have been pursuing a policy of neutralization of
nationals. Such groups have sword in their hands to divide nationalists;
their swords are confusion and clumsy ideas. The Loyalists who are
embedded in organizations are the army of the empire and are the most
dangerous ones. All in all, the Ethiopian empire Loyalists’ political
position is incompatible with the political position of the Oromo
patriots and the Oromo people- the independence of Oromiyaa. It must be
clear that colonialism is and remains irreconcilable with independence.
Throughout history of national struggle, we also found some nationals
with pacifist inclinations. Such nationals seem to favor “political
solution” to the colonial question which means to get liberty and
justice to the colonial question through “peaceful negotiation.” In this
case, the OLF has already tried it time and again without success. The
question is this: what one has to negotiate for when an intruder is in
one’s house and lay a claim on it that that house belongs to him or her?
This is the question between Oromo and Abyssinian colonial authority.
The logic is simple that one has to abandon the house voluntarily since
the two cannot be masters of the same house at the same time or one has
to eliminate the other by force. Over a century ago, an intruder entered
our house and claimed ownership of it eliminating or subduing us by
force. The intruder became a mater; we became tenants. Still we are
tenants but now we are laying a re-claim of ownership as a master of the
house; metaphorically speaking, the house is Oromiyaa. Now two masters
are claiming the ownership of the same house. The one is the intruder
who broke into the house and the other is the real original master who
built the house. Here, both masters cannot exist side by side; one has
to eliminate the other. This takes only force. This is what the struggle
between the colonizer and the colonized means. I believe we must come
to understanding that it is a naive dream, a pious wish and utterly
futile to expect peace, liberty and justice, equality, freedom and
independence through a peaceful means in a world where might is right.
Ethiopia is such an empire where might is right. For this, we need to
establish a mighty and superior force to drive out the intruder. It was
with this understanding; the greatest Oromo generation established the
Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Now, it is time to strength it by
transforming it into a mighty and superior force.
In view of the foregoing, it is wrong to assume that all those who
belong to the same nations, share same national origin, a common
language, a common history, common customs and traditions, common
culture, and within a defined territory of their own have the same sense
of national identity and even more, the desire for independence after
having lived under alien rule or empire for so long. Some nationals
develop dual identity or multiple identities. One identity is their
nation identity and the other is the identity of the colonizer or
dominant or powerful nation that conquered and colonized their country
and dominated their nation’s political, ideological, economic, and
social life. Such nationals oftentimes identify themselves more closely
with the dominant nation’s identity. This reminds us what Dr. Kofi Busia
of Ghana, a person who was instrumental in overthrowing Dr. Kwame
Nkrumah and his government, has to say in his interview with Richard
Wright before Ghana was granted independence, “I was British, a
Westerner, and am educated in the West.” At another time, he told the
London Times, “Oxford has made me what I am today.” These mean Dr.
Busia’s identity was more British than the Ghanaians. His identity was
shaped by British Empire and its institutions. Dr. Kofi Busia was a
leader of National Liberation Movement (NLM) during Ghanaians struggle
for independence. He and NLM pleaded with British Colonial Government to
deny granting independence to Ghana arguing that Ghana was not ready
for independence since, in his view, Ghanaians were not matured for
“Parliamentary democracy.” Here is what Dr. Busia told the British
Colonial Authorities: “We will need you in the Gold Coast [now
Ghana]….Your experiment there is not complete. Sometimes I wonder why
you seem such in a hurry to wash your hands off us.” This plea was
against Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s and his Convention Peoples Party’s (CPP) and
the Ghanaian people demand, “independence now.”
Today, ODF and its leaders are running the same political campaign as
Dr. Kofi Busia and his NLM. ODF and its leaders have been going on
Ethiopian media outlets such as ESAT and etc telling the same stories as
Kofi Busia and his NLM told The London Times and others. The wordings
may differ but the core messages are the same -denying independence.
Calling for “federalization,” or “democratization,” of the empire or
calling for “citizenship rights” in the Ethiopian empire, including
colonial Oromiyaa in it is simply a call for denying independence to
Oromiyaa.
The reason given varies for having a dominant nation’s identity.
Among these, one is psychological inferiorization of children at their
young age. The culture and political teaching of a domineering nation
imposes stigmatized identity through teaching and association on a
certain group within a colonized nation. The stigmatized individuals
adopt the identity of the dominant nation as a way of escaping
inferiority complex. The others reasons are a result of long-time living
together, friendship, association, acculturation, assimilation,
conversion, to colonizer’s way of life, values, attitude and behavior,
interests and class solidarity. And still another reason is a sheer
opportunistic narrow selfish political and financial interest. These
make one to work against the interest of one’s own people on the behalf
of the dominant nation. In a time of war of national liberation against
colonial occupation, the colonized people can ill afford leaders with
myopic points of view: empire federalization. Hence, in the eyes of the
Oromo people, such individuals and leaders who undermine Oromo unity and
their struggle for independence in favor of empire federalization are
guilty of an intolerable blasphemy.
In the national liberation struggle, what is needed is a militant and
forward-looking leadership that leads the nation to liberation; a
leadership with a sufficient political will and commitment to take a
swift action. It is the nationals who create leadership, nurture, and
support it. For this, nationals need to study their own members with a
view to choose capable, committed, competent, and dependable ones into
leadership positions to keep the struggle going, as well as the need to
conscientize the members. For this, it is vitally important that
organizations need to recruit the best and brightest nationals into the
membership not the robots.
All in all, beginning with the occupation of Oromiyaa and ever since
there have been Oromo elements within Oromo society that turned out
collaborators with the colonizers. As the Oromo people continue their
resistance against occupation the collaborators too intensified their
collaborations. Collaboration began with Gobana Daacce, and his
associates then followed with the formation of balabbats -the middlemen
between Nafxanyaas and the Oromo people. These middlemen were the local
Oromo landlords. The Oromo lands were owned by the colonialist
Nafxanyaas and the Oromo landlords. With the demise of balabbat system
OPDO was established in 1989 and replaced the Balabbat system. The
OPDO’s usefulness for the empire is now over and finally it is on its
death throe. Not only the OPDO but also other Oromo organizations that
joined the colonial government to maintain the empire are now swallowed
by varies Abyssinian political organizations. ODF is a new project of
the late PM Meles Zenawi in coordination with some Oromo elements within
the Oromo nationals and it is sponsored and financed by various foreign
governments. The TPLF barbarism towards the Oromo people ,using its
puppet the OPDO, has reached its zenith with a widespread of arrests,
gruesome torture, killings, drumbeating trails, death sentences, forced
population expulsion from their lands and selling and leasing of those
lands to the international multi-national land grabbers. Now with near
death of OPDO, the Abyssinians are in the process of replace it in their
attempt to maintain and control the empire through the other Loyalist
organization, the ODF as their new puppet. On the other hand, the
patriotic nationalists continued fighting along their people for the
independence of Oromiyaa ever since the occupation, while the
capitulationists are campaigning to maintain the occupation of Oromiyaa.
If you look at the Oromo history ever since their occupation, you can
see that the nationalists always fight for the independence of Oromiyaa
while the collaborators always welcome the conquerors. They always
submit to the alien occupiers. They not only submit to the conquerors
but also always please the conquerors very well by their services,
obedience, loyalty and faithfulness. The collaborators never resist
conquerors, like the nationalists and patriots. ODF is such a
collaborator organization. It wants the Oromo people to submit to the
Abyssinian colonial power, the alien occupier of our country. As we have
recently seen as the Oromo patriots rejected and opposed the
collaborators’ idea on submission to Ethiopia/Abyssinia at a forum of
ODF on August 31, 2013 in Calgary, Canada, the ODF hired squad of hit
men to attack Oromo patriots to please its Abyssinian masters. Its hired
hit men physically attacked Oromo patriots. These hired hit-men
specifically targeted the Oromo patriotic nationalist women for attack,
among whom is Oromiyaa Mohammad, to physically hurt them. The ODF has
targeted the greatest Oromo generation for attack. It is clear that the
greatest Oromo generation is under attack by the collaborators of the
colonizers and the Loyalists of Ethiopian Empire since the colonization
of Oromiyaa and it is still continuing.
Before and since it was established, ODF has been preaching about
federalization of the empire and participating in elections, amending
constitution and to make a colonized people a citizenry of the empire.
Through time, its opportunistic manipulators members have learned to
mask themselves by such words and phrases as self-determination and
equality. All these mean submitting to the occupier, which is an
absolute reflection of Abyssinian political tricks and its foreign
sponsors.
In the end, despite the attack on it, the greatest Oromo generation
has set the stage in motion for the national liberation and the road to
independence through their sacrifice. In their sacrifice, many
achievements have already been made. The remaining are the total
liberation of Oromiyaa, the raising of the national flag in the United
Nations as a member of international community, and the playing of the
Oromo national anthem in Finfinnee and across Oromiyaa. To achieve
these, it is time for the Oromo nationalists to unite and go forward
together with united strength, hand-in-hand and shoulder-to-shoulder. At
the same time, it is time for the Oromo scholars both individually and
collectively to actively promote the struggle for independence of
Oromiyaa, participate and passionately support the Oromo people and
their nationalists struggle with all necessary means in their struggle
to restore the nation identity, dignity and self-determination.
Finally, I would leave you with the famous words of the late Dr.
Sheekh Mohammad Rashaad Abdullee, an Oromo passionate nationalist, a
patriot and a member of the greatest Oromo generation. Dr. Rashaad
Abdullee summed up the goal of the Oromo national liberation struggle
and the birth-right of the Oromo people in these words:
Aangoo hin gaafannee abbaa biyyummaatii,
Kabajjaa mulqamne mirga namummaatii!
Oromiyaa Shall BE Free!
Usman
Bayu Tatago used to work for the Oromian Radio and TV organization
(ORTVO) as a journalist. He worked as a producer and anchor of many
entertainment programs. The government security personnel and ORTVO
authorities were not happy with his programs, because of they focused on
revitalization of the Oromo culture and history. Usman received a
series of warnings, investigation, harassment and imprisonment by
Ethiopian security men.
December 2, 2013 (Oromo Liberation Front) –The
research and information unit of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has
conducted a study on the allegiance that accounted for some political
prisoners to be sentenced or otherwise been unjustly detained. The
herewith attached partial list of political prisoners has been collected
from prisons of Kaliti, Torhailoch (Military Police Prison), Maikelawi
and Kilinto. Almost all prisoners are charged for act of terror,
violation of territorial integrity, attempts to overthrow the
constitutional order by violent means and being suspected member of OLF
or any other organizations. These political prisoners are ranging in age
from young High school and University students to elderly civic society
leaders. Professionally they are also diverse from farmer, business
man, government employee; political leaders, journalists and etc. The
overwhelming portions are Oromos and some are also from different nation
and nationalities of Ethiopia.