We must not turn a blind eye to AFD

By Abera Oluma

Much has been said about the crises within the OLF leadership and it is not the aim of this message to discuss it. Many would agree with me if I say we all are the losers and left with polarized and weak organization. This is the reality at hand after many years of internal and public discussion. As usual, one may speculate on moral winners and losers, but I can leave it for history to judge.

Accepting the above reality (all became losers) is the first step for those who still have the moral to contribute for the Oromo cause. Accepting the reality alone is not enough, we need to analyse the past, the present and the future. More over, we need new ways of working: from the ground. The risk if we continue to do as we always did is that we will achieve what we always used to achieve. As you know the successes and failures of an organization and its leadership are strongly related and therefore OLF members and supporters cannot be dissociated from the set back. We, who once promised to change the Oromo situation, are equally responsible for the set back.

We lack serious discussions/debate among Oromo intellectuals. By Oromo intellectuals I mean Oromos who have the capacity and deep interest in the Oromo cause, reason it and try to bring us together. To be academician or PhD holder does not automatically qualify one as an Oromo intellectual. There are many academicians capable in their respective fields of training but near zero when they come to the Oromo issues. At the same token there are people with out any formal educations qualifying My? Definition of Oromo intellectual.

I call up on Oromo intellectuals because I do not think that they have fully played their role. There are reasons for that and probably I will come to it when time allows. This time I want to bring your attention on the current political issue: the alliance of Shane with Qinijjit. This issue must be discussed in detail. The issue is not something that we say yes or no to it and leave to the side. It has very serious consequence that can take us to a new scenario.

To start with I am against the formed alliance. I promise to change side if some one convinces me that the alliance with Qinijit contributes towards the Oromo cause. My motive in short is that Habashas are not willing to accommodate new perspectives. Many including Shane knows this very well. Remind you the discussions we had this time last year. All Oromo organizations including Shane argued that Qinijjit is an organization that has aims, which go against Oromo interest. Look for example at the following description by Oromia speaks journal.

The competing candidate, the CUD, is the greater of the two evils. The neo- nafxanyas never learn from history. They are set to repeat all the mistakes of their Nafxanya predecessors. This group will not hesitate to partition the Oromos and other nationalities along rivers and hills into miniature provinces to effectively weaken the unity of the Oromo and other southern peoples so that they could easily prey on them. They are busy preparing to deny nations? Their constitutional rights to self-determination etc. These are deportments that might lead hell to break loose in that country leading to another round of civil war, shames and woes. (OROMIA SPEAKS volume I, issue 1, OLF USA Office P.O.Box 73247 Washington DC 20056 USA)

I could not agree more. But what made Shane to form alliance with such greater evil organization? The assumption should be that Shane either was lying to its members and the Oromo people last year when they described Qinijjit as greater evil or Shane became forced to form alliance with evil organization against its will.

According to my friend (with good position in Shane), the formation of the alliance went very fast and it was a real surprise for him. My friend further argues that opposing the leadership at this stage means more damage to the organization and therefore members choose to wait. My friend fully agrees with me on the role of external forces and on the formation of alliance.

Shane is happy to tell us that they enjoy diplomatic recognitions but never dare to tell us at what cost. It is good to know that respecting only the international aspect and neglecting the Oromo opinion can only lead us to more divided and weakened nation. It was after 1998 that the external forces took control over the OLF and many of us were aware of that, but never believed it plays a decisive role. For example I mentioned the following in one of my mails 2002. The current crises in Oromo struggle (within the "OLF leadership") has several internal and external causes, it is even deeper and more complex than we think. Just to mention, there are forces that try to bring packet solution to the conflict in the Horn.

Thanks to Waaqaa, they have understood that there cannot be any sign of peace or military rest as long as the question of Oromo and the south remains unsolved. So far, however, this has done no more than awareness of the problem of the region and it is only a first step. There are also forces that try to use the "Oromo card" for their interest. Some thing like 1991 where EPLF and TPLF are the main actors is not precluded.

However, real danger for the Oromo struggle is not the West, EPLF or TPLF. They can never stop the struggle of the Oromo people for their self-determination. The real danger for our struggle is in fact the crises within "our selves" (Onet march 15 2002).

By forces that try to use the "Oromo card" for their interest I meant Eritrea. It was by then that Eritrea started with its project to form Alliance force against TPLF for its own cause. The baby AFD from the start to the end is the product of Eritrea; Eritrea that has never recognized the fact that Oromo is colonized. Remind you the years 1992-1998 when EPLF and TPLF acted as one both in the war front and internationally against OLF and Oromo interest. It is this Eritrea that forces an Oromo organization to form alliance with the enemies of our people. Let us ask our selves: Is it really only the leadership who is responsible?

My answer is clear, we are all responsible if we do not distance our selves from such fake but dangerous alliance. I really lack any understanding for genuine Oromos (I know why many of the followers do) who give their sup-port for such an alliance. I do not buy my friends argument? Opposing the leadership at this stage means more damage to the organization?

Within external forces there are two lines. Eritrea and the West (EU & US). The west does not favour the formation of AFD, not only because it is formed by Eritrea but also because they know it is not lasting long. The fact that there are forces in AFD (Arbenoch ginbar/Patriotic front) that has military activities in the North is another reason for the west not to favour AFD. This in fact is going to lead us to another scenario; division with in Shane: Asmara Shane (led by obbo Daud and Maqale Shane (led by Obbo Leencoo Lata). For many Oromos it is a choice between pest and cholera.

A year a go there was a serious discussion on negotiation. In an interview with journalists Meles Zenawi declared that his government is ready to negotiate with OLF without any precondition. Later Meles declared that there couldn’t be any negotiation on the Ethiopian Constitution. This created irritation within Shane. Shane had to fulfil demands from the Ethiopian government i.e. accept the Ethiopian constitution, stop military activities and become legal opposition or continue to fight the government the other way. In fact Meles is right on this issue. One cannot be legal opposition and at the same time keep its military activities.

It is just the history of milk and meat. You choose either the milk or the meat from the same cow, not both. The demand from Meles was not a surprise for the Maqale Shane group because they had already accepted this in 1998 but was stopped last minute by Obbo Galaasaa. Working with Meles is what the Maqale Shane architectures including some countries for example Norway prefer. They were ready to fulfil the demands from the Ethiopian government. This was even the agenda of Bergen conference.

The demand became unacceptable to the Asmara Shane and Eritrea. The best alternative would have been to solve internal crises, organise it self and continue the struggle both politically and militarily. But the military issue became Shane’s problem because it is considered to be against the wishes of the West ( globalisation).
Concerning the crises within the organization Shane did not want to accept that it is really a big problem. For Shane it is minor problem that few power-hungry individuals and lukkes created and therefore never considered solving the internal problem.

The international pressure on Shane was not only to stop military activities, but also to democratise the empire and to come to the power with legal means. In other words Shane had to find some thing that makes it alternative to TPLF. This reality and demands made by Meles led Shane form alliance not only with the enemy of Meles but also the enemy of the Oromo people; the greater of the two evils? The truth is that Shane itself knows very well that AFD does not positively contribute neither to the stability in the area nor to the Oromo cause. It is just a face saving politics followed by irritation from Meles (fird beet endayimelallesuu lemaadan naw) and pres-sure from EPLF for its interest.

Dear all!
As I mentioned above, the AFD issue is not something that we say yes or no to and leave it to the side. Oromos at home and Diaspora are refusing because they know that it has a serious consequence. We must not turn a blind eye to AFD. The situation as bad. There are others who de-scribe it as best, for example Obbo Leencoo Baati. I was very amazed when I read mail from Obbo Leencoo Baati, the spokesman of Shane. He writes. ’’I can assure that the OLF has begun counting down the end of tyranny not by years but by months’’ (Obbo Leencoos mail to some one in June, 2006). This for me is just an oversimplification of the big problem. Unfortunately, it is not only Obbo Leencoo who oversimplifies the problem.

Read for example; Obbo Daud’s press release on the suspension of the Shane
from ULFO. Instead of trying to solve the problem through discussions and
understandings, obbo Daud prefers to condemn ULFOs decision. Of course he got
support for the press release. Next day we could read? ULFO the first enemy of Ethiopia?
On Habasha media. Is this not an oversimplification (Eessa abbaashii geessii?) of the problem we have at hand.

In conclusion we do not need to hide the problem because we don’t come any where near stopping tyranny for Oromos by hiding the problem. There is no choice at all except to accept the reality, solve internal crises, organise our selves and continue the struggle for freedom.

Best regards.
Abera Oluma
IUO!!!