Better for Amhara and Oromo Nationalists to Cooperate Against the Dictatorial Biltsigina!
The emerging Amhara nationalism has made three major mistakes so far:
- Designating its main enemy as Oromumma, which literally means being against Oromo identity. How can any politician with a sound mind be against the identity of an entire people? They could have made the ruling OPDO their main enemy. Even naming the OLF as an enemy automatically puts them in an anti-Oromo category, since the OLF is the true vanguard of the Oromo national interest, supported by all genuine Oromo nationalists in the OLA, OFC, and even in OPP.
- The Amhara nationalists’ grand conference in Washington, DC, calling the Oromo “Galla”, even though they know that the “G-word” for the Oromo is as derogatory as the N-word is for Black people in North America. How can any intellectual in the 21st century make such a grave mistake? By using this term, Amhara nationalists declared war on the Oromo, not on the oppressive OPDO regime.
- Their inability to recognize the territorial rights of the Oromo, especially regarding Finfinne. Claiming Finfinne and other parts of Oromia could cost them even the existing Amhara region. It would be easy to give back parts of Gojjam, Gondar, Awi, Lasta, Qimant, and Wag to the Agaw people, as well as bring parts of Gojjam, Wallo, and Shoa back to Oromia.
I believe that it would be better for Amhara nationalists to stop confronting the Oromo and instead cooperate with Oromo nationalists to overthrow the dictatorial Biltsigina regime. This would help foster a democratic country where all nations (Oromo, Amhara, and others) can live peacefully and in equality, respecting each other’s national territories. The fact on the ground is that the dictatorial Biltsigina regime escalates and exploits conflicts between Amhara and Oromo nationalists to prolong its brutal rule. Any sound-minded politician who wants to rid the country of this regime should not fall into the incumbent’s trap of divide-and-rule.
It is now becoming clear that PM Abiy’s EPP has already “won” the past “election.” The two major Oromo republican parties (OFC and OLF), supported by the Oromo majority, already boycotted the election. Therefore, the Oromo people must continue our struggle for freedom from the dictatorial regime of EPP through other means (armed struggle and public uprising). Amhara nationalists, like those in Abin and Baldras, have already been labeled by Biltsigina cadres as “radical Naftegna forces,” so it is programmed that they will be attacked. In short, there was no democratic, free, and fair election in both the Amhara and Oromia regional states. PM Abiy’s EPP is determined to rule further by dividing and polarizing Amhara and Oromo, just like the Woyane regime under Meles Zenawi. This is why they have begun playing the game of Amhara Biltsigina vs. Oromo Biltsigina, as well as using the rhetoric of Amhara Tsinfegna (to label Abin and Baldras) vs. Oromo Tsinfegna (to label OFC and OLF). The golden question is: Can Amhara nationalists and Oromo republicans come together and cooperate to mobilize their constituencies for a common revolution against Biltsigina, as they did against Woyane? While it seems impossible at the moment, it is crucial for the future if we truly want to forge freedom and democracy in Ethiopia. I personally recommend the necessary cooperation between the two large nations (Amhara/Agaw and the Oromo). The two brotherly nations are intertwined and should live together in a free and democratic country.
Several years ago, the well-known historian Prof. Laphiso Delebo revealed the presence of 23 million Agaw in Ethiopia. If this figure is accurate, it means the Agaw people are the second largest nation, next to the Oromo (most of the Agaw people today speak Amharic and Tigrinya). If this is true, where do they live? In Axum, Adwa, Tembien, Abergele, Welqayit, Tsegede, Enderta, Adigrat, Semien, Quara, Metema, Lasta, Wag, Awi, etc.? Are they not the rightful owners of most areas in Tigray, northern Gondar, parts of Gojjam, and the entire Lasta region?
There remains a troubling question in the minds of many Ethiopians that has not been adequately addressed: Why was it so easy for Woyane to rule over Ethiopians? Why could Biltsigina potentially do the same? I think it is mainly because of the misguided elites of the two major nations—the Oromo and Amhara. For nearly 27 years, Woyane managed to corner both Amharic-speaking Agaw (the Amhara) and Oromo elites, many of whom were proponents of nations’ rights to self-determination. They achieved this by portraying the Amhara elites as centralists and the Oromo nationalists as separatists. Woyane reserved the ideological middle ground, i.e., a union of free peoples or ethnic federalism, and accused the Amhara elites of being centralists and the Oromo nationalists of being separatists.
I appreciated the efforts of visionary leaders from both of these large nations, who repeatedly attempted to foster an alliance against Woyane. Particularly in 2006, they made an important attempt to form the AFD to counter Woyane’s divide-and-rule tactics. The historical divide between Habeshanized Cushites (mostly Agaw) and non-Habeshanized Cushites (mainly Oromo) gave Woyane a unique opportunity to perpetuate its rule. That’s why the dialogue between Amhara forces and Oromo fronts was a positive start, even though Woyane leaders described it as a “marriage between fire and straw” (isat ina chid). Unfortunately, these alliances did not last long, and the elites of these two large nations are still not in a position to cooperate optimally. It is a real pity that these elites continue to be in conflict. The consequence of their inability to resolve this conflict is the subjugation of all nations in Ethiopia under the current Biltsigina rule.
Ignoring the past criminal ruling class in Ethiopia, both the Amhara and Oromo peoples have been victims of European colonizers. The main conflict between the Habeshanized Cushites and non-Habeshanized Cushites began at the end of the 19th century, during the Scramble for Africa. The French colonizers moved horizontally between Dakar and Djibouti, while the British colonizers moved vertically between Cape Town and Cairo. The two forces were about to confront each other in the Horn of Africa. To avoid such a confrontation, the colonizers had to manipulate the situation, selecting one ethnic group as “superior” and using it to suppress others that they considered “inferior.” They told the Habeshanized Cushites that they were “culturally superior” and tasked them with “civilizing” the “inferior” Oromo and other nations. They provided weapons and military advice, effectively controlling the area without direct confrontation. As a result, both the Amhara and Oromo peoples became victims.
Today, the Biltsigina regime serves as a neo-servant of Western neo-colonizers, used to suppress the Oromo, Amharic-speaking Agaw, and other oppressed nations. During Woyane’s era, there was nothing that could prevent an alliance between the Amhara democratic forces and the Oromo liberation fronts. However, practical problems need to be addressed. The elites on both sides still need to learn how to tone down their respective striving for “unconditional integration” and “unconditional independence.” Amhara forces pushing for unconditional integration make the Oromo suspicious because we know what they want to achieve with this pretext. At the same time, some Oromo elites’ attempts to achieve independence for Oromia without allowing for union or recognizing its benefits make Amhara forces panic, fearing discrimination in a future independent Oromia. Both of these positions are counterproductive in the struggle for freedom. Biltsigina is exploiting these differences to create more discord and benefit from the conflict. To deal with this manipulation, the elites of both nations must focus on a common agenda: freedom and democracy. If both sides rally behind these two ideals, a free Oromo state and a free Amhara state in an Ethiopian union could be achieved. This is possible if all nations in the country continue to be free from tyranny and oppression under the Biltsigina regime and if they decide to foster union.
The key for the durable alliance between the two forces against Biltsigina is a union of free peoples, based on the self-determination of each nation. Until now, it has been difficult to achieve such a common purpose, and unity of purpose seemed impossible. Oromo elites argue that the Oromo must first achieve national independence by any means, and then build union based on free will. Some Amhara forces argue that “the so-called Habesha are simply the converted and assimilated Cushites, who speak Amharic and Tigrinya; so the Oromo should not separate from their people but should bring these Habeshanized Cushites back to their roots and, of course, have a leading role in the politics of the country.” The mistrust between the elites of the Amhara and Oromo nations is a godsend for Biltsigina, which enjoys ruling as long as these two forces remain divided.
The positions of the Amhara forces (unconditional unity) vs. the Oromo fronts (union based on free will) may look irreconcilable, but if both sides realize that the ultimate goal of this struggle is freedom and democracy for all Ethiopians, they may yet overcome this obstacle. The common aim of both national movements is for the total liberation of Ethiopia from the Biltsigina regime. The vision of both sides is based on the principle of self-determination for each nation, which means that they should unite in a federal structure based on free will and mutual respect.
Galatôma!
Read more:https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/04/0 ... a-eprdf-2/