GUMII: Resolution - Semi-Annual Council Meeting

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OLC/GUMII: Resolution

Resolutions of OLC General Meeting
Date:	September 22, 2004
Source:	Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa

The Oromiyaa Liberation Council held its general meeting on August 2 and 3, 2004 and deliberated in depth on the situation of Oromo people's national liberation struggle, on the political developments in the Empire state of Ethiopia, the Horn and around the globe, and issued the following resolution.

1. On the Ethiopian regime:

Understanding that the current Ethiopian regime is a corrupt totalitarian regime whose flagrant violation of basic human rights is all too common;
Cognizant of the fact that like all its forerunners, the Meles regime came to power through sheer violence and thus made violence the primary means of enforcing its state policies and achieving hidden political objectives,
Considering all policies, decrees and programs the Meles regime has so far crafted and the repressive method it has employed to implement them,
Realizing that the current Ethiopian totalitarian regime is plunging the country in to political chaos and economic disaster where more than one third of the population is hungry and waiting for food assistance,
Where as HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Typhoid are wiping out mostly the productive forces of the society due to lack of healthcare and medical assistance,
Where as hundreds and thousands of prominent people are languishing in myriad prisons without any justification; and thousands are fleeing the country in to exile to spare their lives from rampant political repression by the fascist regime of Ethiopia;

The OLC general assembly concludes that there is an immediate national catastrophe hovering over the Empire and Ethiopia is in a very critical condition that needs extra ordinary solution to save the peoples of the Empire from the eminent disaster; the only way to preempt this danger is dismantling the oppressive colonial state machinery that has been subjugating the peoples of the Empire since its formation.

2. On the current global political environment:

Cognizant of the fact that the tragedy of September 11, 2001 has substantially altered the global political order and that the world community is viewing every movement with great vigilance;
Taking into account that the current Ethiopian regime has geared up its usual political machination of blackmailing the genuine Oromo struggle by dubbing " terrorist movement" and;
Observing that the Meles regime has used the international tragedy of September 11 as a wild political card and elevated itself on the world stage, and now claiming as the sole international partner in stamping out terrorism in the Horn region and aggressively suppressing all individuals, groups and organizations with differing political persuasion;

The OLC calls upon the international community to closely learn the genuine aspiration of the Oromo national liberation struggle and the hidden motives of the Ethiopian regime. Time and again the OLC has stated that the Oromo national struggle is part and parcel of the international movement geared to promoting respect for human rights and guarantying self-determination and creating and building democracy; therefore, we call upon the international community to view our struggle as such. On the other hand, the OLC appeals to the world that the Ethiopian regime perpetrating state terrorism can't be a partner in the war on terrorism. Conversely, it has to be held accountable for the reign of terror it is perpetrating against the Oromo other peoples in the Ethiopian Empire.

3. On Oromo National Liberation Struggle and unity of purpose

Cognizant of the fact that historically no nation divided within itself has successfully defeated its enemies and enjoyed the fruit of liberation, peace and prosperity;
Convinced that the success of the Oromo national liberation struggle hinges on the united actions of all liberation forces of Oromiyaa;
Aware of the fact that the political consciousness of the Oromo people and its resolve to stand against the current Ethiopian regime is steadily rising with the increasing intensity of oppression they experience under this brutal regime of Ethiopia;
Realizing that there is a growing debate on how to fully and effectively harness the evolving political potential within the Oromo society and transform it into a highly unified and organized revolutionary Oromo national movement that attains its goal expeditiously;
Strongly believing that United Liberation Forces of Oromiyaa (ULFO) is up to the challenge of unifying and coordinating the Oromo national liberation struggle and it is making a stride in the right direction despite number of obstacles;
Understanding that the effectiveness of ULFO as an umbrella organization rests on the determination of member organizations to discharge their commitments and the degree of participation of the Oromo public at large in building unity of purpose and a well coordinated struggle to achieve Bilisummaa;

The OLC therefore reaffirms its solid support to build ULFO to become a vibrant institution that can deliver on all its promises. It calls upon all Oromo forces to close ranks to bridge every political chasm that surfaces be it within each organization or among all the forces, to make full reassessment of the commitment they got into when initiating ULFO and direct their human and material resource towards making ULFO successful. OLC, calls upon the Oromo people as stakeholders, to actively take part in nurturing and consolidating ULFO.

4. On the Ethiopian regime's onslaught on Macca Tulama Association

Realizing that Macha & Tulama Association (MTA) is a civic organization established to promote socio economic development in Oromiyaa and to further the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Oromo people;
Recalling the enormous stride MTA made in eradicating illiteracy, improving health care services, and building rural road infrastructure over the years;
Remembering the heroic deeds and enormous contributions of the MTA members to the development of the Oromo society at the cost of their lives that shook to its base the regime of Haile Sillasie.
Understanding the crackdown of the TPLF led Ethiopian government on MTA as a replay of the drama of the Haile Sillase and Derg regimes that was staged to liquidate its prominent members and stamp out the association;
Convinced that the allegations drummed up against MTA by the current Ethiopian regime's propaganda machine is baseless and unjustified;

The Oromiyaa Liberation Council condemns the TPLF led government of Ethiopia for all actions it took against MTA, its leaders and broad members. We remind the regime of Meles Zenawi that no colonial ploy, no matter how it appears to be sophisticatedly executed, would go unnoticed for a long and succumb oppressed people to submission. The Meles regime should not delude itself that banning MTA and imprisoning and torturing its leaders would resolve the political impasse of its own creation. MTA must not be scapegoat and therefore, the Ethiopian regime must immediately and unconditionally release the illegally imprisoned leaders and members of MTA.

5. On international aid to Ethiopian regime

Recalling the fact that by promising to uphold the rule of law and democracy, the regime of Meles Zenawi came to power by winning the assistance of international agencies and governments, specially the USA;
Convinced that Meles's brutal regime could not survive without such extensive financial, structural and moral support it gets from the international agencies and governments;
Observing that the money international donors pump to the Meles Zenawi regime is empowering a tyrant, boosting the regime's morale and encouraging it to continue its brutality in extensive acts of war, daily repression of critics, human rights violations and corruption;

Therefore, the OLC urges all governments and international institutions to deny the Ethiopian regime the means to commit crimes against humanity by curtailing financial assistance, withdrawing the moral and logistical have been providing the regime of Meles Zenawi despite the atrocities carried out by the regime.

6. On evicting Oromo from their land

Observing the current Ethiopian regime waging a systematic war of ethnic cleansing against the Oromo people since it overtook the state power;
Cognizant of the fact that under the disguise of "free market" and "lease agreements", the current Ethiopian regime has massively evicted Oromos from their land;
Understanding that by implementing its malicious plan of uprooting Oromos from their indigenous land and detaching urban centers of Oromiyaa from their suburban surroundings, the Meles regime is fulfilling its grand plan of completely changing the demography of Oromiyaa;

The OLC believes that under such circumstances the Ethiopian regime has left no choice for the Oromo but to rise up to defend their lives, properties and rights. Therefore, we call on individual Oromo nationals and liberation organizations to speed up the process of the Oromo national liberation struggle in order to put an end to the misery and subjugation of our people once and for all.

7. On Oromo Language and Culture

Assessing the methods and means through which successive Ethiopian regimes have been oppressing and dehumanizing the Oromo people and have been actively suppressing Oromo language and culture since the occupation of Oromiyaa;
Saddened by the magnitude of subjugation that is happening to the Oromo people under the current government in the name of "democracy" and "peace" that grossly surpasses the atrocities of all previous dictatorships of any brand;
Believing that the scheme to eliminate 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 through out Oromiyaa and the suppression of Oromo Cultural music by harassing, kidnapping and killing of Oromo artists are calculated measures taken by the Ethiopian regime to systematically reverse certain rights that the Oromo people have achieved through their long years of bitter struggle;

The OLC condemns these calculated efforts of Ethiopian government targeting Oromo language, culture and identity; We are committed to fight to the end this government whose primary target is to wipe out Oromo language, identity and cultural heritage.

8. Regarding Human rights Violations

Realizing that the 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;
Observing that every time the Oromo people gain momentum in their struggle, the Ethiopian government responds with a new wave of mass arrests and wanton killings;
Being aware of the fact that the Ethiopian regime primarily targets independent Oromo political organizations, silences Oromo free press, harasses, kidnappes, arrests, tortures and murders popular musicians, influential journalists, businessmen, professionals, academics, lawyers, students, civic leaders and elders.
Realizing that the recent raid on MTA office and its leader's residence, the barbaric acts committed against civilian population and the inhuman acts committed against Finfinnee university and high school Oromo students by the government security forces prove that violence and intimidation has been the chief mechanism used by the Ethiopian government to impose its will on the Oromo people;

The OLC demands to know the whereabouts of all Oromo individuals who have been kidnapped and who have disappeared at the hands of the current Ethiopian regime. We call upon governments, international human rights organizations and individuals to join us in demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners in Ethiopia.

9. On the educational policy of the Ethiopian regime in Oromiyaa and the tragic situation of Oromo students:

Cognizant of the fact that the level of education of a given society determines its growth and development, likewise education elevates the self-consciousness of a nation and enables it to assert and protect its national interests especially in the 21st century,
Being aware of these facts, the Ethiopian regimes have been doing everything to keep the Oromo in the dark, so as to prolong its rule over the Oromo people;
Realizing the so-called educational reform introduced by the current Ethiopian regime is constructed to deny the Oromo the chance to higher education.
Observing Oromo students who somehow managed to reach high school and university were dismissed en masse at the beginning of this year; even as young as elementary school students are not spared.
Recalling the Ethiopian regime's colonial scheme under which the Oromo students who are dismissed from educational institutions in different parts of Oromiyaa are imprisoned and tortured,
Remembering those students who managed to flee to the neighboring countries to save their lives are suffering due to lack of basic necessities at their early ages in a foreign environment.

The OLC condemns this barbarian act of the Ethiopian regime in the strongest sense. We call upon the International Community and relevant Institutions to consider the seriousness of the matter and urge them to play their role in putting the necessary pressure on the Ethiopian regime to reverse its course and in averting the humanitarian disaster in reaching for the students both in Oromiyaa and in the neighboring countries; and most of all that the students can resume their studies wherever possible.

10. On the past Resolutions adopted by Oromiyaa Liberation Council

The OLC General meeting reaffirmed the correctness of all adopted resolutions in the past by General assembly and council meeting of Oromiyaa Liberation Council.

Unity is Strength!!
Oromia Shall Be Free!!

:: The Oromo Liberation Council (OLC) ::