The OLC held its General Assembly on July 31 and August 1, 2003 and deliberated on a range of agenda items related to organizational matters and global and regional political situations that have significant bearings on the Oromo national liberation struggle. After extensive discussion on every agenda item and thorough consideration, the OLC has passed the following resolution.
Assessing the current global political situation and its ramifications on the Oromo people and their national liberation struggle, and:
Recognizing that the world is in a major political turmoil with wars flaring up in various parts of the world most notably in Iraq, Liberia, and in the Congo and drawing much of the attention of the international community away from the worst famine and socio-economic crisis of our time resulting from crimes against humanity and generally political injustice that the TPLF-led government of Ethiopia is committing against the Oromo and other oppressed peoples in the Ethiopian empire;
Fully realizing that the present world political order that lacks vision, focus, moral authority and responsibility is merely attempting to treat symptoms, if any, and leaders of the free world are not showing the will and the determination to help seek fundamental solutions for political challenges menacing peace and stability in various parts of the world; and as a result, for an oppressing state like Ethiopia such a world political environment (the status quo) has suited it to fine tune its oppressive institutions and enhance its agenda – the suppression of the legitimate struggle of the Oromo people and others for self-determination;
Understanding that the western democracies, despite obvious gross violation of human rights that the Ethiopian regime commits, adhere to the policy of continuing on providing technical and financial assistance for the regime claiming that 'political stability in Ethiopia and the Horn Region at large is maintained through constructive engagement with the regime', whereas in essence the policy is destructive as it has proved that it emboldened and strengthened the oppressive Ethiopian regime to silence the crying voice of the Oromo people for freedom, justice and democracy;
Feeling that, with so many failed states and complete breakdown of socio-economic structure and the resulting humanitarian crisis across the globe, the international community is edging towards fatigue and less and less inclined to provide considerable moral, political, and economic support for oppressed people like the Oromo who struggle for freedom, democracy, and justice;
Believing that the TPLF-led regime of Ethiopia has undeservedly enjoyed a tremendous political and economic support from the West as it is considered 'a partner in fighting international terrorism' when in fact the TPLF itself is perpetrating state terrorism;
We appeal to the international community to understand that the scope of the human rights abuse and humanitarian disaster that is unfolding in Oromiyaa and the Ethiopian empire at large is so great to deserve no less attention than other parts of the world raged with crisis. We, therefore, humbly request the world community to tirelessly influence and involve its international institutions such as the UN to exert its influence on its member state, Ethiopia, to live up to the expectation of the civilized world – respect for human rights, freedom of expression, and the rule of law.
We remind the US and UK in particular and other countries at large that have been providing moral, political and economic support for the regime of Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia for the last 12 years to revisit their policies since by all measures their support for the regime has contributed to the growing pain and suffering of our people. It needs to be well understood that the support the regime gets presumably for promoting democratic governance has been abused and rather employed to stifle any emerging democratic institutions and consolidate its dictatorial ruling.
We similarly remind international financial institutions, the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), time and again that loans and aids that had gone out to the regime of Mr. Zenawi in the name of the peoples of Ethiopia hardly got earmarked for the intended development purposes that would help retract the peoples from quagmire of poverty and improve their socio-economic conditions. By all indications, such funds had been embezzled and enriched government officials and misappropriated to run the military machines of the regime.
Aware that the TPLF-led Ethiopian regime is continuing on violating the international borders and encroaching onto the territory of Kenya and instigating conflict between brotherly nations of Oromos and Kenyans who have lived side by side in harmony for generations;
Convinced that the Ethiopian regime pursues a policy of deterring and not promoting peaceful co-existence and causing mistrust between neighbouring nations;
Understanding that the Ethiopian regime is still muddling in the internal affairs of Somalia, dispatching assassin squads and making military incursion, and remaining the major destabilizing factor in the region;
Realizing that the Djibouti Government, partly because of political pressure from the TPLF government of Ethiopia, is denying, mistreating, and deporting Oromo refugees seeking political protection in Djibouti;
We condemn the TPLF- led government of Ethiopia for causing instability in the Horn Region.
We appeal to neighbouring nations of Djibouti and Kenya to provide sanctuary for fellow Oromos escaping from the brutal rule of the Ethiopian government.
Being aware that the Ethiopian political forces have realigned themselves into two seemingly unified camps, the camp headed by the governing party of EPRDF and the camp of the Ethiopian political opposition forces (Government-in-Waiting) that recently declared unity in order to 'salvage Ethiopia ';
Fully convinced that both camps have no vision and are not prepared to genuinely address the century old political predicament of the Oromo nation and other oppressed nations and nationalities in the Ethiopian empire simply because:
We, therefore, remind them all that a fundamental political change that positively impacts on the lives of the Oromos and peoples of the Ethiopian empire results not by merely declaring how much each political group is committed to 'democracy' and paradoxically imposing its political will on the peoples of the empire, but it is by openly and honestly redressing the historical crime and injustice done to all colonized and oppressed peoples by the Abyssinian ruling class and genuinely creating a conducive political climate for all peoples of the empire to decide their political destiny.
Grieved by the fact that millions Oromos are on the verge of starvation, exposed to deadly disease such as AIDS, thrown to the rank of unemployed, and many others are devoid of any economic opportunities in their own country;
Realized that under the guise of resettling 'famine victims', tens of thousand Oromos have been uprooted from their ancestral places and relocated, against the advice of both local and international medical and environmental experts, to areas with no basic necessities for life;
Cognizant of the fact that the Oromo people are systematically denied higher education through Sector Review type model that leaves our people semi-educated and much less competitive in a knowledge-based economy;
Being aware that the token political space that the Oromos seemingly have is shrinking by the day;
We condemn the TPLF-led government of Ethiopia for all political oppression, economic exploitation, and social injustice that the Oromo people face under its dictatorial rule.
Realizing that the challenges that the Oromo national liberation struggle should surmount are many and multifaceted and changing by the day;
Understanding that the efforts that the Oromo political forces are collectively making to counter politically and militarily the enemy forces of the Oromo liberation struggle is minimal and far less coordinated;
Convinced that failure of the Oromo political forces to steadfastly revamp their respective organizations and coordinate their efforts under ULFO would cause a considerable setback to the national liberation struggle;
We call upon all Oromo political forces to rise to the occasion and contribute their due shares to the struggle at this crucial time when our nation is desperately looking for deliverance.
We encourage the Oromo people to continue on intensifying their struggle against tyranny;
We would like to remind the Oromos, particularly the Oromo intellectuals, that their individual interest and/or the political interest of the Oromo nation is best served by full heartedly working for and strengthening the camp of the Oromo national liberation struggle and NOT by making a futile attempt to bring about some political order in Ethiopian through Abyssinian political organizations. We urge you all to recall the fate of the Oromo intellectuals who in the early 1970s followed this same route and committed a major political suicide that resulted in the demise of the individuals involved and the abrupt derailment of the revolutionary situations of the time that could have been best exploited to change the imperial nature of Ethiopian and free the Oromo people from its colonial bondage.
:: Oromiya Liberation Council (OLC)/GBO ::