Misplaced Pages

#789210

113-550: The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement was created as a non-armed political movement in early 2005 as an alternative to the armed Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) by Bulcha Demeksa . Bulcha described the refusal to use guns to obtain political change as the major and fundamental difference between the OFDM and the OLF, stating that the OFDM intended to work within the existing 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia , of which "many chapters" were acceptable to

226-740: A clear sign that Harare would be prepared to extradite Mengistu in a reversal of Jokonya's policy. Given the turmoil in Ethiopia with the Tigray conflict, there have been no further apparent developments. Upon entering Addis Ababa, the EPRDF immediately disbanded the WPE and arrested almost all of the prominent Derg officials shortly after. In December 2006, seventy-three officials of the Derg were found guilty of genocide. Thirty-four people were in court, fourteen others had died during

339-464: A drastic fall in general productivity of food and cash crops. Eritreans came under increased oppression and economic disruption at the hands of the regime. During 1976, civilian opposition to the regime was ruthlessly cracked down on following an attempt on Mengistu's life. In some cases entire families were executed based on the accusation of being 'reactionary'. These grouped ranged from the conservative and pro-monarchy Ethiopian Democratic Union to

452-538: A letter detailing their suffering in Qubee. Derg The Derg (or Dergue ; Amharic : ደርግ , lit.   ' committee ' or ' council ' ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council ( PMAC ), was the military dictatorship that ruled Ethiopia , then including present-day Eritrea , from 1974 to 1987, when the military junta formally " civilianized "

565-478: A national army. In 1992, the OLF announced that it was withdrawing from the government because of "harassment and assassinations of its members". In response, the EPRDF sent raiding parties to the encampment zones of OLA soldiers. The ensuing arrests and killings greatly reduced the Oromo Liberation Front's fighting power. Twenty thousand of its fighters were immediately arrested and thousands were killed in

678-547: A number of government ministers and officials who were under arrest for corruption and other crimes, three days later the Derg was announced. The Derg, which originally consisted of soldiers at the capital, broadened its membership by including representatives from the 40 units of the Army, Air Force, Navy , Kebur Zabagna (Imperial Guard), Territorial Army and police : each unit was expected to send three representatives, who were supposed to be privates, NCOs and junior officers up to

791-473: A number of other opposition parties. Despite this, the OFDM picked up one seat in the 116 towns which held elections for their administrative councils. In June 2008, the OFDM accused the Ethiopian government of ignoring the ethnic conflict in western Ethiopia which allegedly killed 400 Oromos. The OFDM called it a massacre and blamed the government as being at least "an accomplice." At the beginning of July 2008,

904-599: A period of Amhara cultural dominance lasting much of the twentieth century. Both the Haile Selassie and the Derg governments relocated numerous Amhara into southern Ethiopia, where they served in government, courts, churches, and schools, where Oromo texts were eliminated and replaced by Amharic ones. The Abyssinian elites perceived the Oromo identity and language as an obstacle to the expansion of Ethiopian national identity. In 1967,

1017-514: A policy of state atheism , a tenet of Marxist-Leninist ideology; this was opposed by the vast majority of the Ethiopian population. On 4 March 1975, the Derg announced a program of land reform , according to its main slogan of "Land to the Tiller", which was unequivocally radical, even in Soviet and Chinese terms. It nationalized all rural land, abolished tenancy and put peasants in charge of enforcing

1130-534: A political party to democratize Ethiopia. Along with this announcement, he commanded OLF soldiers in south Oromia to lay down their weapons and surrender to the government. The central leadership of the OLF eventually announced that Kemel Gelchu had been removed from office but not before nearly half of the southern army of the OLF had surrendered. Kemel Gelchu and his troops in Eritrea formed their own OLF faction and allied themselves with Ginbot 7 . On 20 November 2012,

1243-486: A press release announced that the OLF would no longer seek secession from Ethiopia. Instead, the group announced it would pursue unity and freedom, and work with other political groups. However, a subsequent statement appearing on the OLF website claimed that an unauthorized splinter group, which did not represent the views of the OLF, had made the announcement. OLF claims that the root cause of political problems in Ethiopia

SECTION 10

#1732851158790

1356-487: A proposed constitution creating a constitutional monarchy was presented to the emperor, the Derg began a program of dismantling the imperial government to forestall further developments in that direction. The Derg deposed and imprisoned the emperor on 12 September 1974. On 15 September, the committee renamed itself the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC) and took full control of

1469-543: A war against the government. In 2006, the OLA in southern Oromia retreated into Kenya in an attempt to regroup. That same year, Brigadier General Kemel Gelchu of the Ethiopian military took 100 of his soldiers and joined the OLF in Eritrea. Despite initially aiding the OLF as leader of its military wing, in 2008, General Kemel Gelchu took matters into his own hands and announced that the OLF would lay down its weapons and abandon its previous goal of seceding Oromia and instead work as

1582-472: Is currently a policy of shelving political problems which must cease. The OLF says that it is ready to contribute towards any meaningful effort to reach at a comprehensive settlement to bring peace to all peoples. In the view of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) another issue with the OLF movement has been the movement's treatment of Oromos who don't support OLF's ideologies. This

1695-507: Is part of the reason the EPRDF helped to form an organization called the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization . OLF has stated that they do not resent Oromos for being members of the OPDO. The Oromo recount a long history of grievance which casts them as colonial subjects violently displaced from their land and alienated from their culture. Beginning from the late 18th and early 19th centuries,

1808-530: Is the Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front which waged an insurgency in the Gambela Region from 1993 to 2012. At the conclusion of a trial lasting from 1994 to 2006, Mengistu was convicted of genocide , war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced in absentia to death by an Ethiopian court for his role in Ethiopia's Red Terror . The Ethiopian legal definition is distinct from

1921-491: Is the policy of oppression by the former Imperial state of Ethiopia and refusal by the state to respect the rights of oppressed peoples to self-determination. The current Ethiopian government recognizes the right of self-determination of all states in its constitution , but it is accused of placing limitations imposed on the exercise of that right. OLF believes that there is an imperial domination that must be brought to an end in order to bring genuine peace and stability. Thus there

2034-571: Is to form, if possible, a political union with other nations on the basis of equality, respect for mutual interests and the principle of voluntary associations. OLF had played a major role in the formation of the Transitional Government in 1991 following the fall of the Derg regime. However, OLF left the transitional government, alleging that its members were being intimidated, jailed, and killed in many part of Oromia. Since then OLF has been engaged in low-scale protracted armed struggle against

2147-653: The Amhara Region of Ethiopia . The OLF has offices in Addis Ababa , Washington, D.C. , and Berlin , from which it operates radio stations that broadcast in Amharic and Oromo . The OLF is not to be confused with the Oromo Liberation Army , which is the now independent former military wing of the OLF. The OLA split from the OLF following disagreements over disarmament. The Oromo people, an ethnic group native to

2260-530: The Eritrean People's Liberation Front had gained control of all of Eritrea except for Asmara and Assab in the south. The Soviet Union, mired in its internal turmoil, could no longer prop up the Derg. In the words of the former US diplomat Paul B. Henze, "As his doom became imminent, Mengistu alternated between vowing resistance to the end and hinting that he might follow Emperor Tewodros II 's example and commit suicide." His actions were frantic: he convened

2373-658: The Ogaden War , and the 1983–1985 famine from which the Derg itself estimated more than a million deaths during its time in power. Conflicts between the Derg and various ethnic militias saw a gradual resurgence, particularly the Ethiopian Civil War and the Eritrean War of Independence . Mengistu formally abolished the Derg in 1987 and formed a Marxist-Leninist one party state, the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia led by

SECTION 20

#1732851158790

2486-518: The Oromia Region of Ethiopia, remained independent until the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when they lost their sovereignty and were conquered by Abyssinia . The Oromos suffered harsh oppression under the imperial rule of Haile Selassie , who was ethnically Oromo and Amhara . Under the Haile Selassie regime, the Oromo language was banned from schools and government. These changes initiated

2599-532: The Oromo People's Congress (OPC), forming the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), in 2012. Oromo Liberation Front The Oromo Liberation Front ( Oromo : Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo , abbreviated: ABO ; English abbreviation: OLF ) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed in 1973 to promote self-determination for the Oromo people inhabiting today's Oromia Region and Oromia Zone in

2712-460: The Shengo , for an emergency session and reorganized his cabinet, but as Henze concludes, "these shifts came too late to be effective." On 21 May, claiming that he was going to inspect troops at a base in southern Ethiopia, Mengistu slipped out of the country into Kenya . From there, he flew along with his immediate family to Zimbabwe , where he was granted asylum and where he still resides. Mengistu

2825-549: The Tigray War , a division of the EDF left Tigray Region and arrived in Oromia Region to fight against the OLA, according to Freedom Friday . On 11 August 2021, the OLA leader Kumsa Diriba announced that the group had formed an alliance with Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and that there were plans among opposition groups to establish a "grand coalition" against Abiy Ahmed . The Kenyan government alleged OLF involvement in

2938-936: The Western world , creating, for the first time, an Ethiopian diaspora . The 1984–1985 Tigray famine brought the political situation in Ethiopia to the attention of the world and inspired charitable drives in Western nations , notably by Oxfam and the Live Aid concerts of July 1985. The money they raised was distributed among NGOs working in Ethiopia. A controversy arose when it was found that some of these NGOs were under Derg control or influence and that some Oxfam and Live Aid money had been used to fund Derg's enforced resettlement programmes , under which they displaced millions of people and killed between 50,000 and 100,000. A BBC investigation reported that Tigray People's Liberation Front rebels had used millions of dollars of aid money to buy arms; these accusations were later fully retracted by

3051-577: The Workers' Party of Ethiopia , with a new government containing civilians but still dominated by members of the Derg. In May 1991, the Derg regime fell to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front , ending the civil war that had been ongoing since 1974 following the toppling of the Ethiopian Empire. Before the revolution, the Ethiopian Student Movement presented a threat to

3164-755: The government and enforcing law since the establishment. By 1976, the Soviet and Derg relations strengthened with the Soviet aided the Derg military with arms. Together with the Cuban soldiers, the military gained support against Somali Democratic Republic during the Ogaden War . According to the United States State Department report in May 1977, 50 Cuban advisors trained Ethiopian troops to combat, while another report in July stated that 3,000 Cubans were in Ethiopia with one Eritrean Liberation Front officer there. Under

3277-558: The resettlement and villagization from the Ethiopian Highlands became priorities. Mengistu became chairman in 1977, launching the Red Terror ( Qey Shibir ) political repression campaign to eliminate political opponents, with tens of thousands imprisoned and executed without trial. By the mid-1980s, Ethiopia was plagued by multiple issues, such as droughts , economic decline and increasing reliance on foreign aid , recovering from

3390-529: The 1700s, including the Yejju Oromos "controlling the imperial seat at Gonder for about eighty years." Ethiopianists claim that since Oromos were citizens of Abyssinia for several centuries (both as peasants and in its leadership), Abyssinia itself is made up of many citizens. Thus northern Oromos were Abyssinians, long before Emperor Menelik was born to lead the alleged "Abyssinian conquest of Oromos." Therefore, since an ethnic group cannot colonize itself, both

3503-514: The 1973 OLF Political Program and issued a new detailed program. The program called for the "total liberation of the Oromo nation from Ethiopian colonialism". The conference is now known as the Founding Congress and it marked the beginning of modern Oromo nationalism. Another front was opened by a newly formed Oromo Liberation Army that was initiated in eastern Oromia by farmers. Oromo students and intellectuals in urban areas joined OLA camps by

Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement - Misplaced Pages Continue

3616-591: The Amhara region, proceeded to take Nekemte , a city in Oromia. In response, the Oromo Liberation Front said in a broadcast on the Radio Voice of Oromo Liberation (Frankfurt am Main) on 15 April 1991: "The OLF strongly opposes the phrase: liberating Wellega or the Oromo nation. It is false for any alien force to say that it will liberate the Oromo nation." The three rebel groups along with government representatives were to meet in

3729-462: The BBC article states "the fighting was sparked when Degodia tribesmen allowed their cattle to graze on Borana land without asking permission. Survivors of the attack blamed Kenyans and Oromos from neighbouring Ethiopia. However, at the time the government denied that OLF rebels were operating inside Kenya.". In fact, a report compiled by a committee stated that the feuding between the two tribes existed before

3842-527: The Derg overthrew the government of the Ethiopian Empire and Emperor Haile Selassie during nationwide mass protests, and three days later formally renamed itself the Provisional Military Administrative Council. In March 1975 the Derg abolished the monarchy and established Ethiopia as a socialist state under a military-led provisional government . The abolition of feudalism , increased literacy , nationalization , and sweeping land reform including

3955-532: The Derg announced the National Revolutionary Development Campaign to mobilize human and material resources to transform the economy, which led to a ten-year plan (1984/85 - 1993/94) to expand agricultural and industrial output, forecasting a 6.5% growth in GDP and a 3.6% rise in per capita income. Instead, per capita income declined considerably to 0.8% over this period. Many Ethiopians viewed

4068-456: The Derg instigated mass arrests and killings in the surrounding urban areas of where the OLA had operated, particularly in the cities of Gelemso , Badessa , Mechara, Boke , and Balbaleti. After the short lived guerrilla war, the OLF become even more disorganized and a few of its leaders moved back to Aden in order to restructure the organization but to no avail. General Tadesse Birru , who had escaped from prison, continued an armed struggle in

4181-486: The Derg, the Ethiopian military was dominated by the Amhara ethnic group. Similar to the period of the Ethiopian Empire under Menelik II and Haile Selassie , over 80% of generals and over 65% of colonels in the armed forces were Amhara's. While the Amhara constituted the majority of the officer corps , the army was still ethnically heterogeneous. By 1980, the Derg was estimated to have an excess of 250,000 troops. This

4294-535: The Derg. No new members were ever admitted, and the number decreased, especially in the first few years, as some members were expelled or killed. The Derg first assembled at the Fourth Division headquarters, and elected Major Mengistu Haile Mariam as its chairman and Major Atnafu Abate as vice-chairman. Their stated mission was to study and address the grievances of various military units, investigate abuses by senior officers and staff and root out corruption in

4407-681: The Eastern bloc communist parties. Mengistu became Secretary-General of the WPE and President of the PDRE while remaining the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Opposition to the reign of the Derg was the main cause of the Ethiopian Civil War . This conflict began as extralegal violence between 1975 and 1977, known as the Red Terror , when the Derg struggled for authority, first with various opposition groups within

4520-590: The Eritrean government. Between 2000 and 2005, the OLF membership fluctuated due to government crackdowns on Oromo student activism and general dissent. Despite this, the OLF was only further weakened when a faction broke away due to disagreements with the Secretary General Dawud Ibsa . The fighting between these two factions, particularly in the Borana region of Oromia greatly weakened the OLF's ability to wage

4633-591: The Ethiopian army out of much of the region and into fortified urban centers. During the Ogaden War that soon followed, Somalia launched a full scale invasion to assist the WSLF. Under the Derg, Ethiopia became the Soviet bloc's closest ally in Africa and became one of the best-armed nations in the region as a result of massive military aid, chiefly from the Soviet Union , East Germany , Cuba and North Korea . In October 1978,

Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement - Misplaced Pages Continue

4746-482: The Ethiopian government. The OLF believes the Oromo people still are being denied their fundamental rights. According to OLF, Ethiopian colonialism has been led by Abyssinian Emperors which has been chiefly the Amhara ruling class until it was replaced by a Tigrayan -led government in the early 1990s. The OLF believes that the change in government from the Derg regime in 1991 does not enable the Oromo people and others to realize their fundamental rights. In January 2012,

4859-593: The London Conference in May 1991 but the government representatives withdrew after hearing news that their President, Mengistu Hailemariam , had escaped to Zimbabwe . In this meeting, it was decided that the EPLF would hold a referendum amongst Eritreans in order to secede from the rest of the country. The EPRDF insisted that the OLF should not ask to secede from the country due to the Oromia Region's strategic position in

4972-525: The MTSHA, who had escaped arrest, had been operating secretly within the country by stirring up activism through underground newspapers such as "Kena Bektaa" and "The Oromo Voice Against Tyranny". They organized a secret conference which was attended by Hussein Sora, Elemo Qiltu and various other Oromo leaders. It was during this conference that the Oromo Liberation Front was officially formed and its first political program

5085-663: The Muslim oromo’s ,Siad’s soldiers asked the captured Oromo’s if they are Christian or Muslim. The Muslim Oromo’s refused to differentiate themselves from fellow Oromo, as a result all were executed and thrown in a mass grave on 15 April 1980. The day is now commemorated by Oromos as Guyyaa Goota Oromo/Oromo Heroes' Day. Anti-Oromo campaign reaches beyond Ethiopian boundaries by Amhara and Tigray alike. Oromo refugees in Djibouti , Kenya , Somalia and South Sudan have been deported back into Ethiopia and even put into labor camps. One such event

5198-618: The OFDM joined forces with other Ethiopian opposition groups to form Medrek , formally known as the Forum for Democratic Dialogue . Other members of Medrek include the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces led by Beyene Petros , Arena Tigray (the Union of Tigrians for Democracy and Sovereignty , led by Gebru Asrat ), former president Negasso Gidada , and former Minister of Defense Siye Abraha . OFDM Secretary General Bekele Jirata

5311-449: The OFDM. Bulcha stated that a consensus between Amharas, Oromos and Tigres would be needed for Ethiopia to have a "peaceful federal structure". In the August 2005 Regional assembly elections , the party won 10 out of 537 seats in the Oromia Region . Bulcha Demeksa, announced in mid-April that his party would boycott the second round of voting in the 2008 Ethiopian local elections , joining

5424-647: The OLF Secretary General, Galassa Dilbo , was almost killed. The military government was on the verge of collapse as three rebel groups were obliterating its rule of the country. The Oromo Liberation Front, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front had differing alliances with each other, the TPLF and EPLF had a strong alliance and they both had limited coordination's with

5537-450: The OLF began an effective campaign to educate students and the general populace about Oromo nationalism. Its military wing also began capturing land in western Oromia, particularly in Wellega. Between 1977 and 1978, the war between Somalia and Ethiopia proved to be a double-sided coin to the fortunes of the organization. Abandoned weaponry from both armies allowed more recruits to be armed. On

5650-548: The OLF began operating in the area. Kenyan authorities formally asked Ethiopia to remove their troops from Kenya indicative of Ethiopian involvement in facilitating violence between communities In December 1991, it was reported that armed Oromos had attacked Amhara settlers in the Arsi Zone . According to a Human Rights Watch report, one hundred fifty-four Christians, mainly Amharas, were killed in Arba Guugu. The report stated that

5763-689: The OLF was noted increasing its radio propaganda outreach to Oromos in Ethiopia. The OLF has offices in Washington, D.C. and Berlin and is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization . It operates a shortwave radio station, SBO (Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromoo) or VOL (Voice of Oromo Liberation), in Berlin. VOL radio transmits in Afaan Oromo as well as in Amharic. The fundamental objective of

SECTION 50

#1732851158790

5876-619: The OLF's support amongst Oromos. The Oromo Liberation Army at that point had grown from a few hundred to over 10,000 soldiers. Despite their numbers, the troops were poorly equipped when compared to the other rebel groups which were operating in Ethiopia at the time, namely the Eritrean People's Liberation Front and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front . The OLA controlled vast areas of land in southern, western and eastern Oromia and offices and military bases were set up in major cities such as Jijiga , Assosa , Dembidollo and Mendi . It

5989-426: The OLF. In 1990, the TPLF formed several other ethnic-based political groups from prisoners it had released and put them all under an umbrella organization called the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front . The Oromo group in the EPRDF was the Oromo People's Democratic Organization and its creation was seen as an attempt to undermine the OLF. The EPRDF, after destroying government control in Tigray and

6102-421: The Oromo Liberation Movement is to gain self-determination for the Oromo people. While self-determination for the Oromo people has been the main objective of OLF, the members and leaders of the party have not formed a consensus whether the exercising of self-determination by the Oromo people will be in the form of an independent Oromia , or as part of a democratic Ethiopia. But recently, it has stated that its goals

6215-473: The Oromo fighters with a ship load of arms and additional 1,500 Oromo fighters being shipped from Eritrea to the south Somalia OLF training center of Qorioli . In July 1999, OLF was stationed at the South Shabelle region and armed by Eritrea in order to fight Ethiopia during the border war. While Eritrea engaged Ethiopia in a border war, the OLA significantly increased their activities in southern Ethiopia . During Ethiopia's war against Eritrea in 1998,

6328-430: The Shewa region of the Oromo nation along with Hailu Regassa. They were eventually captured and executed in 1976 but his OLA contingent continued fighting and gained an influx of recruits after the executions. By 1976, the Oromo Liberation Army had taken up a stronghold in the Chercher Mountains and this was used as an opportunity to reorganize the Front. A two-day secret conference was organized among Oromo leaders and

6441-409: The Wagalla massacre. However, at the time, the government denied that OLF rebels were operating inside Kenya. Major Madoka said the OLF issue needed to be addressed, as it had the potential to disrupt peace in the region. Several thousands of herds of livestock were estimated stolen, as well as 52 girls abducted. Most of this led to a tougher stance by the Kenyan government against the OLF. A quote from

6554-413: The adjacent Amhara community engaged in constant voracious attacks and raiding expeditions against the surrounding Oromo nation. In 1886, the town, then known as Finfinne, was renamed to Addis Ababa by Menelik II as the capital of the Ethiopian Empire . There has also been criticism of the terminology the OLF uses; since its formation, the OLF has used the terminology "Abyssinian colonialism" to describe

6667-412: The administration but stayed in power until 1991. The Derg was established on 21 June 1974 as the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police and Territorial Army , by junior and mid level officers of the Imperial Ethiopian Army and members of the police . The officers decided everything collectively at first, and selected Mengistu Haile Mariam to chair the proceedings. On 12 September 1974,

6780-457: The administrators of the region especially when they killed the notorious landowner, Mulatu Tegegn. The military regime of Ethiopia then sent General Getachew Shibeshi to destroy the insurrection. On September 6, 1974, the first Oromo Liberation Army was obliterated by mortar fire in the Battle of Tiro in which they lost both Ahmad Taqi and Elemo Qiltu ; only three OLA soldiers survived. In an attempt to subjugate any further Oromo uprising,

6893-431: The alleged colonization of ethnic Oromos by Amharas during the 1880s conquests by Emperor Menelik II . However, both Oromos and Amhara Ethiopians alike have disagreed on such strict use of the word "Abyssinians" as exclusively meaning Amhara Ethiopians, because Oromo conquests. One particular example used by Ethiopianist Oromos, like Dr. Merera Gudina , against OLF is the historical accounts on Oromo rule of Ethiopia in

SECTION 60

#1732851158790

7006-437: The area, but it stated that the OLF had not planned or condoned the incidence. According to BBC reports dating as far back as 1999, OLF, along with other anti-Ethiopian elements operating in Ethiopia and Somalia, were receiving assistance from Eritrea as well as helping Eritrea during the Ethiopia–Eritrea 1998–2002 war. In April 1998, OLF held a congress in Mogadishu electing a more militant leadership. Eritrea also supported

7119-441: The association's members, Hussein Sora, escaped to Somalia in 1967. He and other Oromo refugees formed a rebel group called the Ethiopian National Liberation Front , of which Sora was named Secretary General. The ENLF soon moved to Yemen and began training members of the Oromo diaspora. The first attempt by the ENLF to enter the country was directed by Jaarraa Abbaa Gadaa , but it failed when Somali security forces tracked down

7232-413: The attack by launching an attack Moyale District Hospital and killing one guard. On 18 March 2018, OLA/OLF troops in western Oromia attacked two Ethiopian military vehicles, killing more than 30 soldiers and capturing the rest. In August 2018, a peace agreement was forged between the Ethiopian government and the OLF, in principle ending the 45-year Oromo conflict . The OLA was not satisfied with

7345-415: The attendees hailed from all corners of Oromia and a more broad-based leadership was elected. A few members of the ENLF, who were released from custody in Somalia in 1975 and others who had entered the country on previous occasions, as well as representatives of the underground study cells, individual Oromo nationalist and patriots were members of what is now called the "Founding Congress". The Congress revised

7458-484: The civilian segments such as students and trade unions. The Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police and Territorial Army, known as the Derg, was officially announced on 28 June 1974 by a group of military officers. This was done under the pretext of maintaining law and order, due to the powerlessness of the civilian government following widespread mutiny in the armed forces of Ethiopia earlier that year. Its members were not directly involved in those mutinies nor

7571-424: The communist government in the late 1980s, with the Soviet Union retreating from the expansion of Communism under Mikhail Gorbachev 's glasnost and perestroika . Socialist bloc countries drastically reduced their aid to Ethiopia and were struggling to keep their own economies going. This resulted in even more economic hardship, and the military gave way in the face of determined onslaughts by guerrilla forces in

7684-432: The corporation. Although the Derg government came to an end on 22 February 1987, three weeks after a referendum approved the constitution for the PDRE , it was not until September that the new government was fully in place and the Derg formally abolished. The surviving members of the Derg, including Mengistu, remained in power as the leaders of the new civilian regime. The geopolitical situation became unfavourable for

7797-434: The country, then with a variety of groups jockeying for the role of vanguard party . Though human rights violations were committed by all sides, the great majority of abuses against civilians as well as actions leading to devastating famine were committed by the government. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church , which represents the Christian state church of Ethiopia for centuries, was disestablished in 1974. The Derg declared

7910-403: The country. Instead, it was decided that a transitional government compromising of the OLF, EPRDF and various other rebel groups would be created. Despite the tension, the two rebel groups worked together to capture the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa , and bring down the remaining government forces. A national conference was convened and a transitional government was set up with the OLF having

8023-531: The destabilizing role of OLF in Oromia state including. Groups allied to the OLF, such as the ONLF, have also been accused of stopping development plans in the Ogaden Region of Ethiopia including violence against formation of educational facilities and the work of oil firms like the Chinese ZPEB and Malaysian oil firm Petronas. OLF also admitted that it has attacked economic centers in Ethiopia as well as transport routes. The Ethiopian government's spokesperson and former President of Ethiopia , Negasso Gidada ,

8136-642: The execution of Colonel Atnafu Abate in November 1977, Mengistu gained undisputed leadership of the Derg. In 1987, he formally dissolved the Derg and established the country as the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) under a new constitution . Many of the Derg members remained in key government posts and also served as the members of the Central Committee and the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE). This became Ethiopia's civilian version of

8249-600: The far-leftist Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party , the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) guerrillas fighting for Eritrean independence, rebels based in Tigray (which included the nascent Tigray People's Liberation Front ) and other groups. For some time, the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF), had been conducting guerilla operations in the Ogaden. By June 1977, it had succeeded in forcing

8362-493: The former is considered more likely. Both Derg and Haile Selassie government relocated numerous Amharas into southern Ethiopia, including present-day of the Oromia region, where they served in government administration, courts, church and school, where Oromo texts were eliminated and replaced by Amharic. After internal conflicts that resulted in the execution of General Tafari Benti and several of his supporters in February 1977, and

8475-449: The government and all facilities within the government. The Derg chose Lieutenant General Aman Andom , a popular military leader and a Sandhurst graduate, to be its chairman and acting head-of-state. This was pending the return of Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen from medical treatment in Europe when he would assume the throne as a constitutional monarch. However, General Aman Andom quarreled with

8588-527: The government sent the commander of the Ethiopian Ground Forces , General Deresse Dubala , to negotiate with the rebels, they held him and forced him to eat their food and drink their water. Similar mutinies took place at the Ethiopian Air Force base at Bishoftu on 12 February, and at Second Division at Asmara on 25 February. It was these protests that gave rise to the general uprising among

8701-436: The guise to liberate Oromia were abominable crimes and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. ... Whoever commits such barbaric acts of terror in the name of liberation struggle should not be tolerated. ... The killing of innocent civilians and destroying their properties couldn't be justified by any standard. ... I am of the view that a democratic unity on the basis of justice and equality would be of much benefit to

8814-451: The hundreds in order to offer leadership and educational training. The first battles occurred in the rural areas around Dire Dawa such as Gara Mul'ata. The OLF subsequently spread its activities to western Oromia and elected a new 41-member central committee along with a five-member Supreme Politico Military Command, which comprised Lencho Letta , Muhee Abdo, Baro Tumsa, Magarsaa Barii and Gadaa Gamada. With its structure firmly in place,

8927-522: The incorrect use of the word "Abyssinia" and the claim of "colonization of Oromo" terminology has been disputed by Ethiopianists. Another argument given by critics of OLF is its impact on the development of Ethiopia. Most critics of OLF imply that various development projects in southern Ethiopia have been suppressed due to the war waged by the OLA in those regions. In fact, various Oromo elders, Gaada leaders, Oromo religious head persons and Oromo political leaders living in Ethiopia have collectively denounced

9040-528: The land controlled and administered by the OLF was given to the EPRDF. Thousands of civilians were arrested, killed and chased out of the country for suspicion of supporting or being OLF members. The EPRDF's success at quickly eliminating the OLF's military capability meant that the OLA could only wage a low-key struggle. After the Eritrean–Ethiopian War , much of its leadership moved to Eritrea and its military wing began to get training and support from

9153-545: The legal definition as outlined in the Genocide Convention by the United Nations and other definitions in that it defines genocide as intent to wipe out political and not just ethnic groups. In this respect, it closely resembles the definition of politicide outlined by Barbara Harff , who wrote in 1992 that no Communist country or governing body had been convicted of genocide. The Derg army had significant role in

9266-582: The lengthy process, and twenty-five, including Mengistu, were tried in absentia . The trial ended 26 May 2008, and many of the officials were sentenced to death. In December 2010, the Ethiopian government commuted the death sentence of 23 Derg officials. On 4 October 2011, 16 former Derg officials were freed after twenty years of incarceration. The Ethiopian government paroled almost all of the Derg officials who had been imprisoned for 20 years. Other Derg ex-officials managed to escape and organized rebel groups to overthrow Ethiopia's new government. One of these groups

9379-495: The main OLF faction and the faction that had broken away in the early 2000s announced reunification. On 30 May 2015, various media outlets reported that the OLF had attacked a federal police station in the Ethiopian side of Moyale town killing 12 Ethiopian soldiers. This occurred weeks after Ethiopian forces swarmed across the Kenyan border and began abusing locals of Sololo town looking for OLF troops. These forces later responded to

9492-444: The massacre was a result of the exploitation of the animosity between Oromo and Amharas in that area by the previous government. The report went on to say that "OLF cadres instigated repeated attacks on Amhara settlers. Villages were burned and civilians were killed." According to University of Minnesota Human Rights summary reports, the OLF admitted that its supporters might have carried out the massacre and "killed about 150 Amharas" in

9605-569: The militants and arrested them while trying to enter Ethiopia through northern Somalia. The second attempt proved more successful and the second group of rebels made camp in the Chercher Mountains . At this point, the group decided to operate under the name "Oromo" instead of "Ethiopian." In 1973, the political situation of the country had changed and the Ethiopian military had ousted the imperial regime and taken control. Leaders and members of

9718-483: The military. In July, the Derg obtained key concessions from emperor, Haile Selassie , which included the power to arrest not only military officers but government officials at every level. Soon both former Prime Ministers Aklilu Habte-Wold and Endelkachew Makonnen , along with most of their cabinets, most regional governors, many senior military officers and officials of the Imperial court were imprisoned. In August, after

9831-537: The monarchy. Many of their ideals were similar to those of the Derg. After the Ethiopian Revolution in February 1974, the first signal of any mass uprisings was the actions of the soldiers of the 4th Brigade of the 4th Army Division in Nagelle in southern Ethiopia. They were mainly unhappy about the lack of food and water and then arrested their brigade commander and other officers and kept them incarcerated. When

9944-546: The new Chairman of the Derg and the head of state, with Mengistu and Atnafu Abate as his two vice-chairmen, both with promotions to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The monarchy was formally abolished in March 1975, and socialism was proclaimed the new ideology of the state. Emperor Haile Selassie died under mysterious circumstances on 27 August 1975 while his personal physician was absent. It is commonly believed that Mengistu killed him, either by ordering it done or by his own hand although

10057-582: The north. The Soviet Union stopped aiding the PDRE altogether in December 1990. Together with the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc in the Revolutions of 1989 , this itself dealt a serious blow to the PDRE. Towards the end of January 1991, a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) captured Gondar (the ancient capital city), Bahir Dar and Dessie . Meanwhile,

10170-508: The other hand, the Ethiopian, Somali and Western Somali Liberation Front forces were all against the OLF and tried their utmost to eliminate the organization. In the 1980s, the OLF opened an office in Sudan after its office in Somalia was closed down. It was also in that time that mass killings and arrests of Oromos began as a government attempt to curb the OLF's growth, which only served to further

10283-517: The peace negotiations, and split from the OLF. The OLA continued carrying out armed attacks. Nagessa Dube, writing in Ethiopia Insight , described the split as "tactical", and stated that, as of August 2020, the OLA appeared to consist of two administratively separate groups in the south and west. On 2 November 2020, Amnesty International reported that 54 people – mostly Amhara women and children and elderly people – were killed in

10396-491: The people of Oromia." Criticism of the OLF and its ideology has been routinely countered by the organization and many Oromo intellectuals as being Ethiopian propaganda designed to delegitimize the movement. Ethiopians, mainly from the Amhara ethnic group, have termed Oromo nationalism and self-awareness as counter to the Ethiopian state. As a result, Oromo people and organizations that associated themselves with Oromos were targeted as anti-unity and subject to oppression. The OLF

10509-696: The radical elements in the Derg over the issue of a new military offensive in Eritrea and their proposal to execute the high officials of Selassie's former government. After eliminating units loyal to him—the Engineers, the Imperial Bodyguard and the Air Force—the Derg removed General Aman from power and executed him on 23 November 1974, along with some of his supporters and 60 officials of the previous Imperial government. Brigadier General Tafari Benti became

10622-404: The raids on the camps. Some OLF soldiers were purposely kept out of camps by their commanders due to suspicion and mistrust of the EPRDF and those groups began to engage the EPRDF in battle. Despite initial victories, the EPRDF's superiority in numbers and weaponry eventually forced the OLF troops to wage a guerilla war instead. In the late 1990s, much of the OLF leadership escaped the country and

10735-469: The rank of major. According to Bahru Zewde, "Senior officers were deemed too compromised by close association to the regime." The Derg was reported to have consisted of 120 soldiers, a statement which has gained wide acceptance due to the habitual secretiveness of the Derg in its early years. But, Bahru Zewde notes that "in actual fact, their number was less than 110", and Aregawi Berhe mentions two different sources which record 109 persons as being members of

10848-530: The regime of Haile Selassie I outlawed the Mecha and Tuluma Self-Help Association (MTSHA) and later instigated a wave of mass arrests and killings of its members and leaders. Prominent military officer and leader of the association Tadesse Birru was also arrested. This reaction by the regime was caused by the popularity of the MTSHA among the Oromo, as well as its links to the Bale Oromo resistance movement. One of

10961-456: The revolution as a mask to perpetuate Amhara colonization that began during Emperor Menelik II . By 1978 the proportion of Amhara officials running the Ethiopian government was higher than it has ever been - even under Menelik and Selassie . By 1980, the original 120 members of the Derg had been whittled down to only 38. All members but three were ethnic Amhara and were predominantly from settler colonialist neftenya origins. Many member of

11074-528: The ruling elite were deeply opposed to the idea of loosening control on the rebellious southern regions conquered under Menelik II . Famine scholar Alex de Waal observed that while the famine that struck the country in the mid-1980s is usually ascribed to drought, closer investigation shows that widespread drought occurred only some months after the famine was already underway. Hundreds of thousands fled economic misery, conscription and political repression and went to live in neighbouring countries and all over

11187-406: The second highest number of seats to the EPRDF. The two groups were, however, unable to work together largely because the OLF could not handle the OPDO, believing it to be an EPRDF ploy to limit the OLF's power and influence. Eventually, skirmishes began to break out between their military wings even though both groups had agreed to encamp their forces until they could be properly transitioned into

11300-446: The systematic suppression and destruction of all elements of Oromo culture while Amhara culture, language and religion was imposed on the conquered Oromo people. The Somalia role is complex as on one hand you have the WSLF fighting for independence like Oromo. On the other hand, you have a radicalized opposition to Horn of Africa. In the middle of these groups were former Somali President Siad Barre . President Siad Barre 's objective

11413-406: The village of Gawa Qanqa , Ethiopia. The government blamed OLA, which denied responsibility. On June 29, Al Jazeera [2] reported that Oromo singer and activist Hachalu Hundessa was killed; the OLF accused prime minister Abiy Ahmed and the federal government. Overall, from April 2018 to April 2020, the OLA killed 700 civilians according to veteran freedom fighter, Haaji Umar Nagessa, himself

11526-429: The whole scheme. Many students embraced Mengistu as a 'the hero of the reform'. In addition, the Derg in 1975 nationalized most industries and private and somewhat secured urban real-estate holdings. Mismanagement, corruption and general opposition to the Derg's dictatorial and violent communist rule, coupled with the draining effects of constant warfare with the separatist guerrilla movements in Eritrea and Tigray, led to

11639-430: Was also in that decade that the organization and the movement lost many prominent figures such as Muhee Abdo, Saartu Yousef, Kebede Demissie, Baro Tumsa, Juuki Barentoo and hundreds more. The military government increased its viciousness against the OLF by burning entire villages, massacring student activists and through mass arrests. The OLF leadership was once almost wiped out during an ambush by government troops in which

11752-435: Was arrested 13 January 2009, along with at least 14 other ethnic Oromo for alleged ties to the outlawed Oromo Liberation Front and a previously unknown armed group, Kawerj , connections which were denied by the OFDM. He was released 4 February 2009 on bail. No date has been set for his trial. Bekele Gerba joined OFDM in 2009, becoming a member of the executive committee and head of public relations. The OFDM merged with

11865-561: Was assassinated by the OLA on 4 April 2020. On 21 february 2020, militants opened fire on Solomon Tadesse, the Burayu police chief, in Burayu , Oromia . Tadesse was killed and 3 people more, including another police commander, were injured in the attack. No group claimed responsibility for the incident, but the Oromo Liberation Front and the Abu Torbe group were the principal suspects. In 2021 during

11978-479: Was created as a defence against this type of targeted subjugation of the Oromo people. On the issue of Ethiopian colonialism, it is noted that Emperor Menelik II officially formed the Ethiopian Empire in 1888 by declaring that all conquered land belonged to the Emperor. After doing so, the Emperor allocated Amhara landlords over the conquered southern lands (including Oromia ). In this system, these landlords promoted

12091-496: Was first written out. The armed Oromo units in the Chercher Mountains were adopted as the military wing of the organization, the Oromo Liberation Army or OLA (Oromo: Waraanna Bilisummaa Oromo or WBO). The Oromo Liberation Army in the Chercher Mountains was placed under the command of Hassen Ibrahim, more commonly known as Elemo Qiltu . In 1974, the OLA increased its activities in the mountains and caused much alarm amongst

12204-493: Was opposed to the OLF. In 2002, after OLF rebels attacked the Tigray Hotel in Addis Ababa , killing many civilians and destroying property, Negasso stated that "such terrorist acts should not be committed especially in the name of Oromos". He said there is no need for an armed struggle when there are alternative peaceful political ones. He stated "terrorist acts perpetrated against innocent civilians by individuals and groups under

12317-408: Was quickly deleted as it proved so controversial and generally unpopular. It is thought that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed , who had at that time released thousands of political prisoners, had approved the visit possibly because some opposition groups had used Mengistu's image to voice their disapproval of Abiy's policies. In May 2022, Zimbabwe 's Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava gave

12430-540: Was sentenced to death in 2008 in absentia , charged with genocide, homicide, illegal imprisonment and property seizures. In 2009, Zimbabwe's late former Information Minister, Tichaona Jokonya , in an interview with Voice of America said Harare was not going to extradite Mengistu. In August 2018, Ethiopian former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn while heading an African Union election observer mission in Harare met with Mengistu, and shared their photo on Facebook , which

12543-588: Was the deportation of UNHCR registered refugee, Tesfahun Chemeda, who was deported back to Ethiopia by Kenyan authorities in 2007 and later died in an Ethiopian prison on 24 August 2013 while serving a life sentence. In Yemen , Ethiopian agents are suspected in the 20 December 2008 murder of Oromo Refugee Association leader Ahmed Ibrahim Rore. The human rights report details violence towards Oromo refugees, including rape. It also raises concerns over why UNHCR Yemen banned Oromo songs at culture shows. Oromo in Yemen provided

12656-404: Was this the first military committee organized to support the administration of Prime Minister Endelkachew Makonnen . Alem Zewde Tessema had established the armed forces coordinated committee on 23 March. Over the following months, radicals in the Ethiopian military came to believe Makonnen was acting on behalf of the hated feudal aristocracy. When a group of notables petitioned for the release of

12769-554: Was to liberate all Somalis under 1 unified state because the Somali people speak 1 language, follow 1 religion, share 1 culture. In his quest, President Siad Barre captured former OLF commanders Barisoo Wabee (Magarsaa Barii), Gadaa Gammadaa (Damisee Tacaanee), Abbaa Xiiqii (Abboomaa Mitikku), Dori Bari (Yigazu Banti), Falmataa /Umar/Caccabsaa, Faafam Dooyyoo, Irra’anaa Qacalee (Obbo Dhinsaa), Dhadacha Boroo, Daddacha Muldhataa, and Marii Galaa. Since Said Barre and his followers had mercy towards

#789210