The Oromo Are Incrementally Victorious!
By Fayyis Oromia*
There is no question that the Oromo national liberation movement is incrementally victorious. We achieved 25% of our freedom during the first revolution in 1974, increased that to 50% with the 1991 defeat of the Derg regime, and reached 75% with the political change in 2018. Simply put, the Oromo liberation struggle has already won its first phase: gaining freedom from Abyssinian domination.
Now, we are in a transitional phase toward democracy—where the Oromo people can decide the type of sovereignty they want: an independent Oromia or an integrative Ethiopia led by Oromummaa (Oromo values). By removing the current dictatorial Biltsigina regime, we will surely achieve full (100%) freedom.
However, the ruling politicians still act like oppressors:
- They suppress the Oromo’s rightful claim to Finfinne as part of Oromia.
- They hinder Afan Oromo from becoming a federal working language.
- They persecute and imprison OLF members, as if still following orders from Meles Zenawi.
- They are afraid to assert that the Oromo are entitled to their rights without compromise.
And more.
Why should they hesitate to address these legitimate Oromo concerns? Is there still an Abyssinian force stopping them from implementing their pro-Oromo agenda? I don’t think so. I believe Dr. Abiy’s OPP and his administration are stuck in a state of “learned helplessness.”
Psychologists use the following metaphor to explain this phenomenon: An animal is placed within an electrified fence. It attempts to escape repeatedly, receiving painful shocks each time. Eventually, it stops trying, having learned that escape is futile. Even when the electricity is removed and the fence is opened, the animal doesn’t leave—believing it is still trapped. This is “learned helplessness.”
The current behavior of Oromo leaders seems to mirror this. Though they are already victors, they still act like victims.
Achieving victory did not necessarily require alliances with others, but alliances were certainly beneficial. The past environment was favorable to TPLF’s divide-and-rule tactics, which they used effectively for nearly 27 years. Oromo organizations and other freedom fighters should have neutralized this tactic. That’s why we consistently advocated for alliances against the TPLF. For these alliances to materialize, a compromise position was needed. Rigidly clinging to either independence or unity did not help. TPLF benefitted when we remained fixed in these two opposing extremes.
It’s true that the Oromo were capable of achieving their goals alone. But we understood that even the United States sought alliances to defeat smaller states like Iraq. Alliances make us more efficient. Mere pride in our numbers and potential wasn’t enough. I tried to persuade Oromo elites to adopt a different perspective. Some may have doubted my Oromo identity or questioned my loyalty, but having a different approach does not make someone psychologically weak or a loser. Arguments should be won through rational debate—not personal attacks or negative labeling.
The TPLF’s military and financial strength—their “bank and tank”—could only be challenged by an equivalent or greater force, which we initially lacked. The commitment of the oppressed alone was not enough. Even in the 1990s, the liberation of nations in the Soviet Union, Ethiopian empire, and Yugoslavia was supported by the bank and tank of Western powers. Did we have such backing during the Cold War? Even our neighbors, Eritrea and South Sudan, had the support of Western powers. We needed to be pragmatic, not just principled.
We needed a clear, sellable objective to attract international support. Have we ever seen a pro-independence Oromo leader clearly present the case for independence to the international community? Often, pro-independence voices only speak boldly within Oromo circles, but not to our adversaries or global powers.
By the way, pro-union forces are not necessarily anti-independence. Their strategy toward achieving independence may simply be more flexible and tactically sound—without rigid posturing or self-righteous declarations about the “pure objective.” The goal of independence cannot be reached by inflexibility, which only prevents us from gaining the necessary “bank and tank.” That’s why we adopted a pragmatic approach that could be communicated to potential international allies.
We saw how the TPLF, despite its repressive nature, managed to secure support from both Eastern and Western powers. Nothing is impossible under the sun—but we needed to be smarter, more realistic about global politics. Rigidly sticking to ideologies adopted earlier in life doesn’t make one a good politician. To unlock the door to our liberation, we needed a key that matched the current political context. Too often, we tried to open new doors with old keys.
Why didn’t we progress to the next stage of our struggle more quickly? I believe it’s because we lacked the bank and tank. Was being ideologically fixed on independence enough to get them? I doubt it. We comforted ourselves by saying, “The Oromo are keeping the TPLF in check.” But if we had that kind of influence from the start, TPLF forces wouldn’t have been able to dominate Oromia—exploiting our land and lives. Eventually, we had to face reality and seek real solutions, not just comforting slogans. To win, we needed a flexible and strategic plan—not just a fixed and “holy” objective.
Recently, pro-independence and pro-union Oromo forces have found common ground in the shared goal of freeing Oromia from Abyssinian domination. We have agreed to leave the decision regarding sovereignty—union or independence—to a referendum after transitioning to democracy. Now, we must recognize that we are no longer victims of Abyssinian elites—we are victors.
The current struggle is now between the Prosperity Party’s Oromos (OPP) and the republican Oromos of the OLF. Unfortunately, the Prosperity side continues to persecute the republicans, resulting in the imprisonment of hundreds of Oromo freedom fighters. It seems that OPP has not yet fully broken free from the TPLF mindset. I hope they will purge such elements and become as free as the OLF—to act not as helpless victims, but as confident victors on behalf of the Oromo people.
May Waaqa help them.
Galatôma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2019/04/0 ... -a-victim/