GUMII BILISUMMAA OROMIYAA (GBO)
January 13-14, 2001, Washington, DC
Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa (Oromiyaa Liberation Council) held an extraordinary council meeting on January 13 and 14, 2001 in Washington D.C. The council meeting assessed 1) the political reality prevailing in the Ethiopian Empire under the current Ethiopian dictatorial regime, 2) the situation in the Horn of Africa and 3) the attitude of international institutions and governments towards the Oromo cause and the Ethiopian Empire in general. Further, the meeting thoroughly assessed the current status of the Oromo national liberation struggle, evaluated the pattern of forces within the liberation camp, discussed in depth the matter of solidifying the unity of purpose among Oromo liberation forces under the United Liberation Forces of Oromiyaa (ULFO) and addressed building alliances with non-Oromo forces of justice and democracy who are waging struggle against the Ethiopian Empire’s politics of domination. At the end of the two days’ deliberation, the council concluded its meeting by passing the following resolutions:
Historically, no nation divided within itself has successfully defeated its enemies and enjoyed the fruit of liberation, peace and prosperity. Similarly, Oromo strength lies in its unity. Since its inception, the Oromiyaa Liberation Council has consistently worked on creating unity of purpose among Oromo forces that have been separately waging liberation struggle for decades. After revisiting the impediments caused to our struggle by the division among Oromo forces and considering the coordinated effort of the enemy to destroy the Oromo national struggle, the GBO council meeting resolved to mobilize its material and human resources to translate the unity reached among Oromo forces into specific action.
The question of unity is not a new phenomenon to the Oromo national struggle. During the war of occupation, it was a lack of coordination between Oromo resistance forces that gave Menelik the opportunity to conquer different Oromo territories one after another. The DERG regime and sinister Ethiopian political organizations pitted Oromo against each other in order to stay in power. Today, the TPLF is trying to employ the same tactic of dividing the Oromo in order to rule over them. Even within the camp of Oromo forces – whose shared objective is the liberation of Oromiyaa – a lack of minimal coordination for decades hampered our struggle and has been one of our major shortcomings responsible for prolonging Ethiopian colonial domination in Oromiyaa. Realizing this fact, the Oromo people themselves have been demanding that Oromo political organizations forge a unity of purpose. Even though some Oromo organizations have tried to coordinate their efforts at different occasions, none have succeeded in living up to the Oromo people’s expectations. Today, “Tokkummaa” (unity) and “Bilisummaa” (liberation) are the slogans of the day among Oromos from all walks of life.
The formation of the United Liberation Forces of Oromiyaa (ULFO) is a response to the continuous demand of the Oromo people for a united Oromo force that will both mobilize the Oromo people and Oromiyaa’s diverse resources from corner to corner of the nation and also coordinate the liberation struggle at multiple levels in order to liberate Oromiyaa swiftly. To be successful and to fulfill the demand of the Oromo people, ULFO should realize the ideals that are enshrined in its document of agreement, the Oromo Consensus 2000, signed on September 20, 2000 among Oromo liberation forces. As an ULFO member organization, Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa will rally its full support behind ULFO so that its ideals will be translated into action accordingly. Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa also calls on other member and non member organizations and Oromo individuals of all tread to do their best in supporting and promoting ULFO.
Following the footsteps of its predecessors, the current Ethiopian regime has been waging a systematic war of ethnic cleansing against the Oromo people since clinging to state power. Under the disguise of “free market” and “lease agreements,” this regime has massively evicted Oromos from their land and has been leasing Oromo land to “investors.” By implementing its malicious plan of detaching urban centers of Oromiyaa from their suburban surroundings, the TPLF government has been forcing thousands of Oromo residents of cities like Finfinee to vacate their land. Major cities in Oromiyaa are said to have been earmarked to be under direct federal rule. The entire scheme is the implementation of a grand plan to change completely the demography of Oromiyaa. Under such circumstances, the current irresponsible and criminal government of Ethiopia have left no choice for the Oromo but to rise up to defend their lives, properties and rights. GBO calls on individual Oromo nationals and organizations to speed up the process of the Oromo national liberation struggle in order to put an end once and for all to the misery of subjugation.
A pattern of state-conducted terrorism has become the primary means used by the current Ethiopian regime to communicate with and to control the Oromo people. Every time the Oromo people gain momentum in their struggle, the Ethiopian government responds with a new wave of mass arrests and wanton killings. Since coming to power, Ethiopia’s ruling party, the EPRDF, has banned independent Oromo political organizations, silenced Oromo free press, harassed, kidnaped, arrested, tortured and murdered popular musicians, influential journalists, businessmen, professionals, academics, lawyers, students, civic leaders and elders. The recent barbaric, inhuman and racist acts committed against Oromo students of Finfinee (Addis Ababa) University by the government security forces proves that violence and intimidation has been the chief mechanism used by the Ethiopian government to impose its will on the Oromo people. We of the Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa demand to know the whereabouts of all Oromo individuals who have been kidnaped and who have disappeared at the hands of this government. We call upon governments, international human rights organizations and individuals to join us in demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners held in Ethiopia.
Since the occupation of Oromiyaa, successive Ethiopian regimes have oppressed and dehumanized the Oromo people and have actively suppressed their language and culture. But what is being done covertly to the Oromo people in the name of “democracy” and “peace” under the current government surpasses the atrocities of previous dictatorships. Adding political insult to the deep injuries of prolonged war, forest fire, destruction of natural resources, lack of treatment for pandemic diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, the government has increased its efforts to dominate and suppress the Oromo in every way possible. The scheme to eliminate the Oromo language alphabet Qubee, the malicious campaign to hamper the development of Afaan Oromoo, the plan to remove Oromo language as a medium of instruction in many schools throughout Oromiyaa and the suppression of Oromo cultural music by harassing, kidnaping and killing Oromo artists – are some components of the Ethiopian government’s evil mission of systematically reversing certain rights that the Oromo people have achieved through their long years of struggle. GBO condemns Wayane’s calculated effort to destroy our language, Afaan Oromoo, our culture and our literature. We are committed to fight to the end this government whose primary target is to wipe out our language, identity and cultural heritage.
Since coming to power, the current Ethiopian government has used every means to instigate conflicts among neighboring peoples. It has made many futile attempts to instigate conflicts between Oromo people and their neighboring peoples. The generation of incidents between Oromo and Issa, Oromo and Sidama, Guji and Gedeo are examples of such attempts. We condemn these evil acts of a divisive government whose main purpose is to divert the attention of the oppressed nations and nationalities away from their struggle against their common enemy, the ruthless Ethiopian government itself.
Currently, the Ethiopian regime does not have relationships based upon international laws and norms with any of its neighboring countries. The Ethiopian army is still occupying territories in Eritrea and Somalia. Through its army and its paid agents the EPRDF government is engaged in terrorist acts of kidnaping, killing of Oromo refugees and looting of properties in Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan. Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa condemns the state-sponsored terrorism of the Ethiopian government conducted against neighboring countries of the Horn of Africa. To the host countries who provide safe haven for Oromo refugees; we of Gumii Bilissumma Oromiyaa say, we sincerely appreciate your generosity for giving refuge to our people who fled to your countries when escaping the atrocities of the Ethiopian government; we also appeal to you to remain steadfast in the principles of good neighborliness and continue to protect the well-being of the refugees in your country.
The regime of Meles Zenawi, which operates as a dictatorship, came to power by means of the assistance of governments and international agencies. Without such assistance, this ruthless regime could have not survived. GBO would like to remind these governments and international organizations that the aid they are giving to Ethiopia is being misused by an irresponsible regime. The aid is appropriated for the purchase of armaments, for waging a prolonged war against its neighbors and for suppressing the peoples of Ethiopia. Therefore, we urge all governments and international agencies to apply effective pressure to the Ethiopian government to abandon this gross misuse of international funds. Pressure in the form of curtailing financial assistance, and withdrawal of the moral and technical support that international donors have been supplying to the Ethiopian Government would prove effective. We appeal to these governments and international organizations to give assistance directly to the people in need through the people’s own agencies or channels.
Unity is Strength!
Oromiyaa Shall be Free!
GBO