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Oromo’s Ongoing Negotiation: the OLF to Take over Oromia and the OPP to Further Rule Oropia?

Post by OPFist » 28 Mar 2025, 05:48

Oromo’s Ongoing Negotiation: the OLF to Take over Oromia and the OPP to Further Rule Oropia?

By Fayyis Oromia*

Oromo forces are still negotiating. It is said that the OLF wants to take over power in Oromia and leave the federal administration at the level of Oropia (Oromummà led Ethiopia) for the OPP. What a smart move, if they really agree on such compromise solution. The OLF controlling Oromia means building a very strong back bone for Dr. Abiy to govern Oropia further securely being well stabilized. At the same time, it will be the end for the vocal anti-Oromo forces, who are salivating to take power in Finfinne palace in order to exploit Oromia again. Now is a very high time for Dr. Abiy to use this opportunity and write history in Oromo politics. Then, the Oromo will have only two big political parties (OPP and ORP). The later is Oromo republican party yet to be formed by melting together of OLA, OFC and OLF. Through the next election, the ORP can even have a chance to take power at federal level to administer an integrative Oropia (Afàn Oromo being primary working language of the federation replacing Amarigna), where the right of individuals, nations and institutions will be well respected. As far as Oromia is concerned, all its parts taken or given away by Woyane such as Finfinné, Diredhawa, Rayya, Wallo, Wambara, Moyale, etc shall be reunited under the legislative rule of Oromia.

It is fact on the ground that some pro-Amaranet Oromo activists, who used to support EPP and denounce Oromo Republicans at the cost of Oromummà are changing their mind because of the push coming from the well organized Amara neo-Naftagna elites. It seems that they have no more hope in Dr. Abiy, who is already hijacked, manipulated and persuaded by Amara elites in order to beat and break the Oromummà camp. They started to call for Oromo republican leaders to come out and speak their position. No question that Oromo republicans are pro-Oromummà in contrast to Dr. Abiy, who is practically pro-Amaranet. It is interesting to observe that Oromo leaders are politically orienting differently. It looks like that Dr. Abiy is more friendly to the Ethiofederalists like ECS of Dr. Berihanu, whereas republicans seem to stay loyal to Ethnofederalism. The political spectrum in Oropia is concentrating at the middle. Both the Derg style ethiofascists and the Woyane type ethnofascists have lost influence never to come back. At last, freedom fighters including both ethiofederalists and ethnofederalists won the struggle.

Ethiocenteralists, who wished to forge unitary Ethiopia, already gave up their goal and moved to the middle left position of ethiofederalists. Similarly, ethnoseparatists nowadays seem to accept the middle right vision of ethnofederalists. In short, there are only two camps of opposition against the incumbent administration, which seems to entertain both ideologies (ethiofederalism and ethnofederalism.) Oromos prefer either of the two types of federalisms based on the sort of sovereignty they wish for Oromia according to the version of Oromo history they have in mind. Oromo prospertitans are open for ethiofederalism with risk of dismantling Oromia and Oromo republicans insist on preserving ethnofederalism with risk of dismantling Oropia. It is not bad to be ethiofederalist, but bad is to be pro-Amharanet at cost of Oromummà. An integrative Oropia is actually more beneficial than an independent Oromia, be it the adminstration form will be ethiofederation or ethnofederation.

When we want to look at Oromo’s history, we just need to consider and ask the question: “who wrote it?”. Are they Abesha elites, who used to tell us that we came out of river? Some Oromo nationalists, who tell us that we are from Mada Walabu and we have been colonized by Abyssinians? Certain “modern” historians, who write that we are related to Meroe of north Sudan, and the name Ethiopia actually belongs to the Oromo of Cush, not to the Habesh?. Did the Oromo “migrate” from south towards north or were we pushed from north (Meroe) towards south?

I personally would like to leave history to historians. But, I am not too naive not to recognize that the Oromo were and are indigenous people in the Horn of Africa, and were pushed by Christian Europeans and Muslim Arabs as well Turks from different directions and squeezed to our present national area. Additionally, the Oromo, being originally Wàqeffatà, tried to resist the big Abrahamic religions, and we preserved ourselves as the Oromo in our current geographical region. Let me raise certain questions: are the Christianized and Habeshanized Amaras and Tegarus biological Oromo or are they derivatives of other Cushitic nations like the Agaw? Are the Islamized i.e Arabanized Afars and Somalis also biological Oromo? I do ask these questions for there are certain historians who do consider Oromo as a stem for almost all other Cushitic nations in the Horn.

Unfortunately, all the above groups narrate their versions of past Oromo history in order to instrumentalize it for justification of their versions of future Oromo destiny, i.e what they wish and want to achieve for the Oromo in the future:

– Abesha elites narrate that the Oromo are new comers (immigrants) from somewhere (Madagascar, the River, and so on) just to justify their theory that “most parts of Oromia originally belonged to Abyssina”, so that it is legitimate to have the future unity of the empire at the cost of Oromo liberation.

– Pro independent Oromia fronts narrate that Oromia was not part of Abyssinia, but became colony of Abysinian rulers in the end of 19th century, so that it would be legitimate to fight against colonialism and to separate Oromia from Abyssinia.

– Those, who do argue with “post-modern facts” that Oromo is stem for even Tegarus and Somalis, who are culturally changed, but biological Oromo, try to tell us that we all belong to Cushitic nations. This includs the Habeshanized ones like Tegaru, Amara, Gurage, Silxe, Argoba and Harari – who are originally Oromo or Agew. With this theory, they want to suggest that the Horn of Africa is in reality Cushland, to whose unity the Oromo should dedicate ourselves.

As far as I am concerned, I do believe that the third version is the most probable truth. But, considering development of the various nations into speaking different languages (theory of ethnogenesis), I would like to accept that all language groups do deserve their national autonomy in the future union of all Cush peoples in the Horn.

Other very important factors to be given attention in Oromo history are its Gadaa system (an indigenous democracy) and its Wàqeffannà religion, which is the preserved representative of all African religions (monotheistic belief in one God). The Gadà system must be modernized and used in the areas it will be accepted as a home-grown African version of democracy, instead of importing the non-functional Western democracy, which usually is difficult to be exercised in Africa. Reviving Wàqeffannà in Oromia means a Renaissance of African religions asserting itself against the three major imposed religions – Christianity, Islam and Judaism, which used to demonize African religion as the work of Satan.

This way or that way, the reality on the ground now is that the Oromo used to be under the yoke of national occupation/colonization/oppression. We, the Oromo, struggled and are still struggling to free ourselves from such domination. Our spiritual organization, the OLF, the mindset we all freedom loving Oromo have, is still moving in every level to realize our emancipation. I think this liberation spirit moves now at three levels:

– at the level of the ruling party OPP to keep the status quo of a limited cultural autonomy i.e to hinder the backward move to the status we were in till 1991. During this pre-1991 time, there were no Oromia as a state, no use of Afàn Oromô and even no limited cultural rights, which we do have now.

– at the level of OFC, the opposition movement which tries to achieve a genuine autonomy for Oromia within federal Ethiopia, of course Oromia as the national state being liberated from Abyssinian elites’ looting and lording as well as from the servant mentality of certain Oromo elites in OPP.

– at the level of OLA (Oromo Liberation Army) to lead us to a complete liberation. I do include all free Oromo organizations to be part and parcel of this level of Oromo liberation movement.

Leaving the study of our history to historians, we need to agree on our future destiny. Our destiny is to be determined by liberation movement, which has to yet consolidate our freedom and realize sovereignty of Oromia, be it in a form of an independent Oromia or an integrative Oropia. We need to determine our fate and be owner of our land. To this end, we need to discern our own wish from the wish of our oppressers. We know that Abesha elites want that we unconditionally accept their agenda – territorial integrity of the country under domination of Amaranet. This is the precondition they always put even when forging an alliance with Oromo political organizations. But, the Oromo, should clearly articulate that our desire is to foster our national self-determination which can result to autonomous Oromia within union of free peoples in the Horn or to independent Oromia without the aspired union. There will be no compromise on our freedom from the system of domination, which is the key common goal towards our destiny.

To forge our end-goal of Oromia and/or Oropia after freedom, we need to synchronize our move with the international and continental developments. Now, it is historical fact that Africa is developing gradually towards a federal arrangement – the United State of Africa. Oromianists’ objective then is to foster a State of Oromia in a United States of Africa, Finfinné being the capital of both Africa and Oromia. (https://orompia.wordpress.com/2016/12/0 ... d-robales/ ) . We hope that Abesha elites come to their sense and accept this endeavor so that we will have Tigrai state, Amhara state, Ogaden state, Oromia state, and so on in a United States of Africa. At the time Abesha elites accept this common aim, then all of us can be partners to foster it for common benefit. It is the acceptance of this common goal which may help to promote the needed cooperation of pro-democracy Abesha forces like ECS with the pro-liberty Oromo fronts like the OLF.

No question, the optimal way to the above goal is the very much desired unity of Oromo political organizations for liberation. The current main obstacle on the way to our goal is the dictatorial EPP. To get complete rid of this dictatorial force, the following factors are necessary as chronologically put, based on their importance:

– 1st, we need unity of all Oromo organizations to consolidate freedom of Oromo people.

– 2nd, we can forge a coalition with all oppressed nations who can move with us till our end.

– 3rd, we can have an alliance with Abesha democratic forces (of course, not with dictatorial forces), that, at least, respect freedom of Oromo people, even though they do oppose our effort to establish sovereignty of Oromia. The dictatorial Abesha forces accept and respect neither freedom of the Oromo nor sovereignty of Oromia.

We can move with the pro-democracy Abesha froces a half way to our goal. To be clear, this half way can be a United States of Ethiopia (genuine language based federation of Ethiopia). A culturally, economically and politically federated nations in Ethiopia can be a precursor for the genuine integration of all African nations. This seems to be the goal of all politicians who forged Medrek. So, I would like to recommend “USE” (the United States of Ethiopia) as a common denominator for the unity forces of Abesha like ECS and the liberty forces of Oromo like the OLF – also as a uniting mechanism against the common enemy – the dictatorial EPP. Then, it would not be necessary to disintegrate the already integrated nations of the empire in order to foster sovereign Oromia in the future United States of Africa. The modern and enlightened elites of Amaras, Tigrayans, Ogadenis, Afars, Gurages, Welayitas, Hadiyas, Kambatas, Kafas, Sidamas, Oromos, Gambellas, Benishanguls, and so on can come together and transform the status quo of the empire through building United States of Ethiopia as a very good base for the United States of Africa.

I think, that is why both ethiocenteralists and ethnoseparatists moved to middle of the spectrum. The ethiofederalists are trying to build big organization by merging the existing ones like ECS, MEAD, Hibir and ANM. Ethnofederalists are stronger, but still fragmented. The chance, which ethiofederalists have to change the existing formal ethnofederation is minimal. Abiy Ahmed now tends to favour the first and Jawar Mohammed is trying to strengthen the later. It looks as if the competition is between the Ethiofederalist bloc led by Abiy Ahmed and Ethnofederalist camp led by Jawar Mohammed. As far as the Oromo are concerned both types of federalisms are not disadevantegeous, if promoting Àdà Oromo, Afàn Oromo and Àngô Oromo in Finfinné palace is not compromised. Not clear is whether Dr. Abiy will keep the pro-Amaranet EPP in power or promote the democrtatic ethiofederalists. In case the first, he has to leave power, but if the second and win in next election, he can rule further. It is right time for Jawar Mohammed to come out and organize the ethno-federalists to take power. May Waaqa show us, who will be good for all nations and peoples in Oropia.

Galatôma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2019/01/1 ... ist-oromo/