Triangular Cooperation of Amara, Tegaru and Oromo Democrats against Biltsigina Regime!
*By Fayyis Oromia
No question that the main conflict in Ethiopia is triangular (between Amara, Tegaru and Oromo elites). The failure and mistake of elites in these three camps are the main causes of the current misery in Ethiopia. These elites are still beating the drum of war against each other. It seems that Biltsigina is moving some where between the three, of course instigating the confrontation just to use it for the tactic of divide and rule. How long can this manipulation will help the party may be seen soon. But, I would like to advise the triangular democrats of Amara, Tegaru and Oromo that they change their style of proacting in the destructive triangular confrontation to promoting the constructive triangular cooperation between the three blocs. This cooperation can be the best and stable “sostu gulicha = stable three supporting corners” for Ethiopia in particular, the Horn and even the whole of Africa in general. The last move of Aite Getachew Reda and Dr. Yiliqal Kefyalew to reconcile their two blocs was commendable. I hope that Ob. Shimelis shall join the movement soon. It is time for the Amara elites to show an interest in learning Afàn Oromo and Tigrigna if they want others respect Amarigna further. Such move of being multi-lingual in Ethiopia is mandatory for the sake of transforming the triangular confrontation to triangular cooperation. Can the triangular democrats play influencial role in this process of transformation? Time will show us whether they can be the best agent for an end of all the hitherto oppressions in Ethiopia! I think the era of Oromo’s dictatorial Biltsigina will come to an end soon, just like that of Amara’s dictatorial Derg and Tegaru’s dictatorial Woyane. The future shall be for the triangular democrats of the three competitive nations. I hope Tegaru’s new democratic generation led by Aite Getachew being free from the fascist Woyane mentality and new Amara generation free from fascist Derg mentality will emerge soon to cooperate with the democratic Qérrô of the Oromo. Students of the three nations fought against the feudals till 1974 revolution in unison and surely the democrats in the triangle will do the same against the three blocs of fascists (against Amara elites with Derg mentality, Tegaru’s with Woyane mentality and Oromo elites with Biltsigina mentality). We shall definately foster democratic Ethiopia as our common home on the grave of the current three fascists: Amara-Dergists like Fànnô, Tegaru-Woyanes and Oromo-Biltsiginas. .
Just leaving the oppression by the Monarchy Till 1975 alone, let’s Look at what happened during the last three dictatorial regimes. Derg favoured Amara elites and persecuted Tegarus and Oromos. Woyane benefited Tegaru elites and humiliated Amaras and Oromos. Now, Biltsigina tries to promote Oromo elites and control Amaras and Tegarus. These confrontation of the elites from these three mainly influencial nations has costed the country a lot. I think, we need to transform this confrontation to cooperation. It is nice that the negotiation between OLA and OPP is now going on. Unitefd Oromo force is the base for stability of the country in particular and the Horn in general. Oromo forces consolidating power in Finfinne palace and promoting Afaan Oromo to primary working language of the federation is the main prerequisite for the transformation. Then, Oropia (Oromumma led Ethiopia) will be at peace with itself. Tegaru and Amara elites will have no other alternative to cooperation with the Oromo. Tegarus have already started it. Amaras will soon come to their sense and do the same after getting rid of the currently vocal extremists in Amara Community. The Oromo as victor need to be magnanimous to accomodate liberal elites from Tegaru and Amara so that the transformation of the triangular confrontation to cooperation will be realized.
Dr. Abiy and his Administration effectively lost support of the main triangular contenders of power in Finfinné palace (Amara, Tegaru and Oromo). His prosperity party committed self-destruction by injurying three legs of the stool he was sitting on comfortably. By designating TPLF and OLA (Oromo Liberation Army), the two vanguard organizations of their respective nations, as terrorists, he officially declared war against both Oromo and Tegaru peoples. By not fullfilling the expectation of Amara nationalists, he also lately lost confidence of most Amaras. Now, Abiy and his party have basically no strong support base as Mengistu and Meles had. Mengistu had support of Amara elites and Meles’ strong constituency was the nation of Tegaru. It would have been good, if Abiy could get the vehement support of the Oromo. Unfortunately, he naively messed up every thing and now touched the holy liberation army, which is highly respected by almost all conscious Oromo. It is the matter of time, Abiy and his administration will lose power. The million dollar question is: who shall follow? Amara nationslists? Tegaru hegemonists or Oromo republicsns?
Interestingly, PM Abiy initally got very huge support three years ago from three main triangular contenders (from Amara, Tegaru and Oromo elites). He appeared to be very integrative figure to lead Oropia towards democratization. But, unfortunately, he slowly lost support from the three angles due to his attempt to consolidate dictatorial power. Now, he is no more a democrat for transformation, but a new dictator of victimization. With the overtaking of power by Oromo liberals almost three years back, we quasi concluded the liberation struggle and we were in a transition process towards democratization. For the transition to be successfull, we had to transform the hitherto triangluar conflict between Amara, Tegaru and Oromo elites to a constructive triangular cooperation. It was time for the elites in the three blocks to come to their sense and find a mechanism for this possible cooperation. We needed to learn from our damaging conflict history and ought to foster common beneficial destiny as a win-win solution for all nations in Ethiopia in particular and the Horn in general. Dr. Abiy and his adminstration could have worked on this, despite the protests from extremist positions of the three angles (some Amara elites nostalgically longing for the dead assimilative Ethiopia, few Tegaru elites trying to bring back their apartheid Ethiopia and certain Oromo elites still rejecting the potential accomodative Oropia). Unfortunately, PM Abiy couldn’t materalize this and now, it seems that we are again at cross road of a new revolution. The opposition against the dictatorial EPP is now not only from extremists of the three angles, but also from democrats of the three blocs.
Fact on the ground now is that Oromo’s colonial or domination history, which started at the end of the nineteenth century together with the European colonizers’ scramble for Africa, is on the verge of coming to end. Europeans could formally give up their colonies, though they still indirectly control and influence every political, economical and social life of their respective colonies, because of the liberation struggles of colonized nations and the support subjugated nations got from the socialist bloc during the Cold War. The only black de facto participant of the Berlin conference on the scramble for Africa, i.e. the black Abyssinia enjoyed as colonizer just because of the neglection from the so called international community regarding freedom of the dominated nations in the empire in general and concerning the Oromo nation in particular.
Despite this neglection, Oropia’s oppressed peoples being guided by their liberation movements, even including masses of the two Abyssinian nations led by the very few democratically thinking Habesha elites, struggled against all forms of domination, injustice and tyranny. They struggled together against European colonizers like the Adwa battle and Italian occupation during the World War II, as well against feudal monarchy as shown during the Students’ Movement, against communist military regime and against the fascist apartheid administration of TPLF.
Unfortunately, this fascist administration could rule for twenty seven years, specially by using divide-and-rule method. It could divide the opposition against its rule into three main blocs: 1. left oriented unionist liberators, including all liberation fronts of oppressed nations – particularly the Oromo, 2. middle positioned democratic federalists such as Medrek and the right oriented unitarist patriots, which comprise all forces emphasizing unconditional unity of the country. The elites in these three blocs of the opposition couldn’t forge a lasting alliance against fascists for the fact that it was easy to polarize and make them fight against each other. The TPLF was busy producing articles and dispatching cadres being camouflaged as either the unionist liberators fighting against the unitarist patriots, or vice versa. Now, the EPP of Dr. Abiy is using the same mechanism to survive and thrive.
It is because of such activities that the hitherto formed alliances like AFD could fail. All individuals and organizations opposing the EPP regime should have developed a common ground to cooperate and to tackle it’s divide-and-conquer machination. After many years of debate and discussion, they got common ground, i.e. the two-phase struggle: first phase of liberation from dictatorship, and second phase of democratization. Talking in the past, being under the apartheid rule, about democratization process was simply self-deception to say the least. Some organizations got this fact earlier during the election in 1992, and others realized it lately, and election in 2015 being final evidence for the fact that any attempt of democratization under the TPLF fascist regime was a pipe dream.
Interesting is to observe that even the oppressed people of Amara and their democratic leaders have started to taste what it means to live under domination; even few of them have started to call the past fascistic domination as Tigrean colonization. Note that Tigreans under domination of Amara elites till 1991 felt the same. This political process among the Amhara people and movement of Tigreans against the EPP are encouraging developments. All peoples in the country in general, and politicians of each nation in particular, seem to pass through a sort of political evolution.
Observing politics of the empire, we may face it or evade it, a national question is the main conflict area. All peoples and politicians in Oropia do agree on political values like democracy, freedom, human rights, justice, good governance, etc., but the dominating Habesha elites are not ready to agree with the Oromo and other nations on the question of national freedom for each people. That is why I do suggest to all concerned polity to have a look into the political evolution, regarding mainly Oromo people, but also can be applied to other nations. We like it or not, all Oromo individuals and Oromo institutions pass through certain political evolution process, from level one to level five of the following:
– first level of the evolution is that of those who support unitary Abyssinian colonial empire as some Oromo and others in Habesha dominated organizations like Ezema. They deny existence of Oromia, but they are concerned only about Ethiopia.
– second level of those acting like OPP, who claim to be Oromo and believe in existence of Oromia, but accept and adore Abyssinian rule over the occupied Oromoland.
– third level of those acting like OFC, who claim to be Oromo and demand Oromia’s autonomy at least within Oropian union.
– fourth level of those acting like ONP (Oromian National Party) and claim unconditional Oromia’s independence, disregarding possibility for union of free peoples.
– fifth level of those like OLF, searching to foster Ethiopian union, i.e. union of free peoples in the Horn for common economical benefit, which brings all Oromo in the Horn together.
Then, we may ask: at which levels of Oromo political evolution are Oromo people and politicians as well as peoples and polities of other nations moving? It is clear that a lot of Amhara elites move at the first level, the majority of Tegaru elites at the second level, and most of those from the other peoples taking differentially the levels from third to fifth. Despite these differences, the call of the OLF for more alliance is a nice take. The OLF actually seems to flexibly moving between third, fourth and fifth levels of Oromo political evolution based on the timing of geopolitical situation of the region. This Oromo vanguard organization is promoter of Ethiopian union (the name based on biological origin of the majority in the area) = Horn union (based on geographical origin) = Kush union (according to Hebrew) = Punt union (according to old Egypt) = Ethiopian union (a designation according to Greeks).
It is because of this attempt of the OLF in promoting both national independence of the Oromo and regional union of the Horn that some Oromo scholars have started to talk about a “paradigm shift,” and even few Habesha oriented scholars are now trying to join them. It was not bad that once the prominent leader of Habesha-dominated unitarist party came to Oromo conference of OSA and discussed with Oromo scholars. The topic of OSA-conference was also really good: “Rethinking the Urgency of Paradigm Shift for Democracy, Human Rights and Social Justice in the Age of Intensified Globalization.”
But what do the concerned people mean by “paradigm shift”? Shift of goal or shift of way to the goal? At which levels of Oromo political evolution were the panelists and participants moving? How many of Oromo individuals taking part in Oromo politics and Oromo institutions they represent have completed their political evolution process? I know there are some who have already completed their evolution, but tactically making rhetoric of lower levels of the evolution. But yet, there are some who are still convinced to live and to move at lower level of Oromo political evolution. Which one of the positions, be it compelled or convinced, is position of the Oromo politicians in general? From those living and moving at lower levels, position of the compelled ones is to consider lower levels as their tactical goal because of the political situation and position of the convinced ones is to accept lower levels as strategical goal based on their political conviction.
Even though we considered the step taken by the OLF to foster a new alliance against the oppressiv regime as a nice measure, I still recommend that Oromo liberation forces first try to promote their own unity like the imperative re-unification of OLF factions. After such unity, it is easy and politically expedient if we form and strengthen necessary coalition with forces of other oppressed nations as well even if we foster cooperation with Abyssinian democrats as planned by the OLF. But, whenever we try to form coalition with other liberation forces of oppressed nations and foster cooperation with democratic forces of Abyssinian nations, we should be conscious enough that our Oromo’s reservation, i.e. our minimal demand, our bottom line or our tactical goal is “Oromia’s autonomy within Ethiopian union”; that we know our Oromo’s goal, interest, i.e. with what we will be satisfied or our core-goal is “Oromia’s independence in a form of Gadà republic”; and that we consider our Oromo’s target or position, i.e. the best, the optimal, the maximum we could possibly attain or our strategical goal is “Oropian union of free peoples.”
Taking all these facts into consideration, now is the right time for all forces against the dictazorial EPP to forge cooperation for democratization. No question that all these forces agree on liberation of all citizens and nations in Oropia from dictstorship and they just achieved the needed liberation. This move as a first phase didn’t contradict with political program of any of them. So, no one of them is compelled to change its program in order to foster such an alliance. But, I know the political programs of the three opposition blocs vary specially regarding the final types of sovereignty they want to achieve for their respective nations or for the country during the ongoing second phase, the phase of democratization: unionists want to achieve union of independent peoples in the Horn (weak centeral government), federalists want union of autonomous nations in Oropia (strong centeral government), and unitarists want to achieve unitary country devoid of national autonomy or national independence for each nation.
I think this difference of the three blocs must be left for public verdict in the second phase, i.e. during phase of democratization. The cooperation should be in agreement to establish democratic institutions and facilitate for citizens and nations to decide democratically on the types of sovereignty all nations in Oropia should have. An independence of any nation without a public verdict is like an amputation of a limb; an autonomy within a federation without public verdict is bantustanization; and a unitary state without public verdict is like a colonial amalgamation killing identities of nations. So, any individual or organization who preaches freedom and democracy (like almost all in the opposition are doing now) should be ready to accept and respect such public verdicts. If not, they will only replace tyranny of Tigrean elites with that of either Amhara elites, or Oromo elites or other nations in the country.
If we want to have a lasting solution for that cursed country and to prosper together, there is no other way preferable to this move of democratization. I am sure that only the EPP tyrants are against this move. Genuine and matured democrats should be ready to accept and respect decisions of peoples during the democratization phase, be it that public verdicts lead to a peaceful separation like that of Czech republic and Slovakia, or to a peaceful unification like that of East Germany and West Germany. The alternative to this civilized and modern way of achieving national independence and regional union is the cycle of replacing one dictator of certain nation dominating other nations by another dictator of different nation at gunpoint as the Abyssinian elites of Amhara and Tegaru used to do. This alternative is, of course, prolongation of the misery and poverty for all citizens and nations in the Horn. It is up to us to choose either the first way of democratization or the alternative way, which will lead us to further domination.
In case we choose the way of democratization, then I think now is a good time for the formation of the necessary cooperation to fight against the tormenting EPP dictators and to move forward. It is the time, when almost all opposition groups have understood that the tyrants are not ready for any sort of freedom concerning citizens and nations in Ethiopia, or for the necessary democratization process. Generally, we can say that now is good timing to initiate formation of cooperation against evil of the region and to promote the democratization process. All genuinely democratic and pro-freedom opposition groups will have no better timing than now to come together, and to seek a lasting solution for the most troubled part of the globe. Oromo elites, now being in the leading position can form this inclusive cooperation. They can transform the triangular conflict of Amara-Tegaru-Oromo elites to triangular cooperation of the three camps. It is time for free Amaraland, Oromoland and Tegaruland to be domcratized and build strong union of free peoples in the Horn. That is why the triangular war of Abiy and his EPP against the three main competing nations is a futile excercise. Wake up all, it is good timing!
Galatôma
Read more:https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/06/1 ... operation/