January 12, 2016, regarding the current political situation in Oromia.
TOO LATE TOO LITTLE AND AN INSULT TO INJURY
Since the inception of the peaceful political protests in Oromia region two months ago, Tigran Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has intensified atrocities and inhuman treatments of the Oromo people beyond human imagination. Indiscriminate arrests and detention of Oromos, extrajudicial killings, and abductions to unknown destinations with the whereabouts of the abductees unknown to friends and family member has continued unabated. Our main concern in this regard is the 800 to 1000 Oromo higher education students whose whereabouts are not known but believed to be taken to Tigray region. There are thousands of Oromos in illegal concentration camps like military barracks, factory grounds, private homes, and government offices on top of the 140 innocent Oromos killed by the TPLF led Ethiopian government. Having all these inhuman treatments and carnage on the ground as a witness, the statement given by OPDO on January 12, 2016, flatly failed to address the concerns of the Oromo people. The statement we believe is drafted by the TPLF as usual and given to OPDO to be catered to the Oromo and the world at large.
We, the OFC-ISG consider the statement given by OPDO as “too late too little and an insult to injury”. The so-called Addis Ababa Integrated Master Plan is no longer an issue since it is void ab initio. The issue to be addressed now is the inalienable rights of the Oromos that were denied for the last two centuries. The failure of the OPDO in the last 25 years to address the issues at hand and dance around to make their Tigraean bosses happy would transform the struggle of our people for their inalienable rights to a higher state and new phase. Therefore, the following political demands should be given immediate attention by stakeholders in that part of the world, including Tigran ethnocrats:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Oromo political icons like Bekela Gerba, Dejene Tafa, Bekele Nega, Addisu Bullala, Desta Dinka, Derejje Merga, Gurmessa Ayana and all detained members and supporters of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC). Their number is estimated to 150 in Maekelawi and unknown in many different regions of Oromia.
- An end to the gross violations of human rights in the State of Oromia.
- The entitlement of the Oromo people to their inalienable rights, as stipulated by International Covenants that Ethiopia has accepted and ratified.
- The enforcement of the rule of law and independent judiciary in Ethiopia in general and the State of Oromia in particular.
- Those who killed innocent Oromos should stand trial and the families of the victims should be awarded appropriate compensation.
- The unconditional release of all Oromo prisoners of conscience detained in illegal concentration camps, military barracks, private homes, and factory compounds. The figure of the detained Oromos is estimated to 80,000 and escalating from time to time.
- Form an Independent Commission to investigate human rights violations in the Oromia region of Ethiopia and bring to justice the perpetrators.
- Immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Agazi killing robot from the state of Oromia.
- Immediate and unconditional restoration of the evicted Oromo peasants to their ancestral land.
We urge the International Community to:
- Recognize the Oromos, a peace-loving people and the largest ethnic group in the Horn of Africa, as the most important variable in the power equation for the region and the world at large.
- Recognize the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) as a legitimate leader of the Oromo people as it is paying sacrifice and operating in Ethiopia under the Ethiopian Constitution.
- Deter the TPLF Tigran ethnocrats from conducting ethnic genocide against the Oromos.
We urge the Oromo people:
- To be ready to the next phase of the movement until our brothers and sisters are released from prison cells all over Ethiopia. This may include a million march to the prison cells and dungeon holes in which the Oromos are held and encamp in the vicinity.
- To take best and at most care of non-Oromo residents in Oromia and target only institutions created to dehumanize the Oromo people.
- We call on or brothers and sisters in the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO) to be answerable to the call of history at this juncture in our history and stand shoulder to shoulder with their heroes and heroines and prepare the exit strategy for the TPLF occupation army and prepare the roadmap for Oromo empowerment.
Our long-range demand:
- Since the conflict between the successive Ethiopian regimes and the Oromo people is not uncommon starting from the heyday of submission and conquest, the only lasting solution to the conflict between the Oromos and the Ethiopian regime is to enforce Constitutionalism, Rule of law and democracy in truly federated Ethiopia.
- It is part of our sad history the Oromos have been the victims of those who pretend to speak for them and it is high time for the Oromos exclusively to speak for themselves.
ALUTA CONTINUA,
FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY FOR ALL,
OROMO FEDERALIST CONGRESS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT GROUP (OFC-ISG)