MELES DECLARES WAR ON OROMO IN HIS SPEECH AT PARLIAMENT

OLF Division of Information
October 31, 2006 - Meles Zenawi has confirmed that he is going to embark on a new war against the Oromo, in his speech last week at the TPLF/EPRDF dominated parliament.

Meles attempted to portray OLF as an enemy of Ethiopia and his party as its savior. It is obvious that Meles’s intention is not to save Ethiopia. The intention is to unleash a new wave of terror on the Oromo, for which the speech is a dress rehearsal. The declaration is cleverly crafted to quash the Oromo struggle by isolating it from the struggle of other peoples for freedom and democracy. Everyone knows that Ethiopia’s unity can be sustained only when equality of nationalities are based on free will and mutual respect not through the domination of the majority by the minority.

The TPLF has proved that it has no moral ground or the ability to guard Ethiopia’s unity by what it has been doing in the last 15 years. TPLF has wounded every one. There is no nation or nationality that escaped TPLF’s repression in the last 15 years. Arresting, shooting and killing protesters in broad daylight, pitting one nationality against another, fanning inter-religious strife, and harassing dissenters cannot serve Ethiopian unity. The cement of is justice, freedom and democracy.

Unity of Ethiopia will not be guarded by the wishes of the TPLF but only when the rule of law is respected and people are given a chance to live free and in peace. Criminalization of dissent cannot serve the cause of unity. Meles Zenawi has publicly stated before his rubber-stamp parliament that it is a crime to be a member or supporter of OLF. One thing that is for sure is that: his threats will fail by the Oromo people’s struggle. The regime will not live long enough to carry out its threats.

The OLF will not abandon its objectives to fight for the rights of the Oromo people nor do the Oromo people give up their struggle for freedom simply because the head of a minority and illegitimate government which has been destroying their livelihood has said so. They should get more organized and get rid of this tyrannical regime.

The TPLF fears the OLF because if the Oromo become masters of their destiny, the TPLF will be unable to rob Oromia’s wealth to sustain itself on power. That is why Meles Zenawi, in his address to the last TPLF congress which by the way looked eerily like the last meeting of the Soviet Communist party, made a special appeal to the Youth of Tigray. He called on them to vigilantly protect his regime. He urged them to rally behind his dying regime out of fear that the end of TPLF hegemony would herald a loss of opportunity for Tigreans, which is a total none sense. The end of tyranny leads to the blossoming of opportunity for all.

Tyranny can only be overcome only through struggle. And struggle entails sacrifices. The Oromo and all the youth in Ethiopia should answer Meles by demonstrating their readiness to pay the ultimate price to regain their people’s rights.

Meles is threatening some and pressuring other Oromo opposition parliamentarians to denounce OLF. This shows that the Oromo struggle is going from strength to strength and this is not lost on Meles. Following Meles’ declaration a new war between EPRDF and the Oromo and other people is imminent. One thing is certain: this time the war will be concluded with the victory of the Oromo and other people.

Victory to the Oromo people!

Source: Oromo Liberation Front