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The Oromo people in Ethiopia are good people and the world should hear their cries for justice, equality, peace, liberty, democracy and liberty. They are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and represent 34.5% of the population.
Although the word Oromo first appeared in European literature in 1893 and gradually became common in the second half of the 20th century, the Oromo people have a rich history dating back thousands of years and more. They have always existed and their rich culture is testament to their long search for peace, equality and justice.
However, in recent months, his country, Ethiopia, the second most populous nation in Africa after Nigeria, has again been embroiled in a major crisis.
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Right now, tens of thousands of Ethiopians are in prison for political reasons, including opposition leaders, and all media, except those wholly controlled or affiliated with the Prosperity Party, are closed. The tension increases day by day and the Prime Minister Abiy ahmed ali it is not solving the country’s numerous crises.
Outrage erupted last June after the murder of a popular Oromo singer, Hachalu Hundiessa, sparked massive unrest that quickly escalated into fighting across most of western and southern Oromia between fighters from the Oromo Liberation Front forces. armed forces and government forces.
Hachalu Hundiessa’s assassination, riots and clashes occurred as opposition parties in Oromia prepared for resistance, following the government’s decision to remain in power beyond its mandate in late September 2020 citing the new coronavirus. .
As protests rocked much of the Oromia region, many businesses and shops were burned or looted, while the government’s response to the unrest left 178 people dead and another 9,000 detained without due legal process. according to human rights organizations.
The internet was shut down, curfews were imposed, even as public mistrust deepened amid confusing statements from the government, the arrest of opposition leaders, and the failure to establish an independent investigation into the artist’s murder.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made things worse in Oromia by purge more than 1,700 local administrators and public officials, firing senior officials, including Lemma Megersa, the Defense Minister, a former ally who was considered fundamental on the rise to power of the prime minister.
All of these missteps led to a political crisis that currently shows no signs of abating, rather, many fear it could get worse.
Many bodies and people have tried to intervene. For example, the African Union has been exhorted mediate between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, while a U.S.-based Ethiopian task force has urged Washington to play a more prominent role in the escalating crisis.
Some high-profile senators in the United States too wrote a request calling on the US Secretary of State to urge the Ethiopian government to release opposition leaders and others, warning that the crisis is intensifying.
Beth Daley writing for The Conversation noted that the “ongoing riots in Oromia and Wolayta; state fragmentation in the Amhara region and the confrontation between the federal government and the Tigray region have called into question the survival of the government ”.
She wrote: “The Wolayta people in the south of the country have long been agitating for a regional state of their own. The claims have gotten louder since December 2018 when the neighboring town of Sidama obtained referendum to form its own regional state, separating itself from the regional state of nations, nationalities and peoples of the south.
“The Constitution recognizes the right of any nation or nationality grouped in any of the regional states to form its own state. Following the required steps, the Wolayta area council of representatives voted unanimously for a regional state and presented its decision on December 19, 2018. But this has not yet been considered at the regional or federal level or referred to the Electoral Board. .
“In protest of the silence, Wolayta organized a massive rally and the 38 representatives of the regional council refused to attend the council meeting. The federal government answered these events by arresting dozens of area officials, elected members of the Wolayta state council, leaders of political parties and civil society actors.
“The regime also acted violently against peaceful protesters demanding the release of the detainees. The government too discontinued a community radio station and closed offices of civil society organizations ”.
Daley concluded that “the events in Oromia and Wolayta illustrate the fact that the current Ethiopian problem is not limited to a dispute between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). It is national. “
We believe that for peace and trust to return, Abiy Ahmed must release all political prisoners and reopen all media immediately. It must also end the unlimited and illegal state of emergency.
The use of COVID-19 to postpone scheduled elections remains unacceptable to most opposition political groups that have called for a dialogue to avoid the consequences of the constitutional crisis. Abiy Ahmed should embrace dialogue and reject dictatorial tendencies.
He won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 due to his peace movements in and outside Ethiopia. Yet these days, he looks more like a dictator than someone who just won the peace prize last year.
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