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Oromia Youth Association Press Release, May 22, 2001

Ten years ago many in the international community hoped that peace would finally come to the troubled Ethiopian empire. However, this is not to be. By violently and systematically pushing from the stage all credible and genuine forces such as the OLF from the political stage and assuming dictatorial powers, The TPLF dominated minority regime of Prime Minister Zenawi established a reign of terror while publicly preaching about democracy and the rule of law. Now after the senseless war with Eritrea that caused the death of thousands TPLF itself is too weak to govern the empire. TPLF’s façade of internal unity is irreparably shattered and no financial aid from the IMF/World bank would rescue it from collapse.

Ethiopia is in a deep political, economic and social crisis. The Aids epidemic is growing at an alarming rate. Poverty is rampant. The empire’s infrastructure is crumbling. Mass uprisings are becoming more common. On the other hand Meles is pouring fuel on an already volatile situation in Somalia. While Ethiopia itself is on the verge of implosion, TPLF is also threatening the Oromo people and other subject people of the empire with more violence and once again proving to be a menace to its neighbors. It could no more fool the people with its shallow theory of "Revolutionary democracy."

Today thousands of Oromos are languishing in jails under extremely difficult situations for the crime of being born Oromo and refusing to kowtow to the dictates of the TPLF. Following recent student uprisings the regime is intensifying its criminal practices of mass arrests, extra judicial killings and disappearances that parallel Mengistu’s Red Terror. At a time when our people are under extreme hardship, it is also orchestrating different deceptive schemes to keep itself on power. In addition, groups who sucked the blood of Oromia for over 100 years are desperately vying to sneak in the confusion and regain power on the backs of the sacrifices of our people. Let it be known to all that the Oromo won’t allow itself to be marginalized anymore under any circumstance. Even the OPDO, the Trojan Hourse of the TPLF for ten years, is finding it difficult to accept a subordinate role for the Oromo people anymore.

It is with all these in mind that OYA organized a peaceful protest and rally to highlight the suffering of its people and make the following calls to the Oromo, the international community and the people in Ethiopia:

To the Oromo
OYA calls on all Oromo patriots and all organizations to redouble their efforts to mobilize the great Oromo masses for the challenge of not only bringing about fundamental change in Ethiopia but also enabling our nation to play its central role in stabilizing the Horn. We call on our youth in particular to expedite the just struggle to secure and defend Oromia’s freedom from all threats. We believe this is the time to rise in unity and determine our destiny as a nation.

To The International Community
The international community has in the past financed minority regimes that ruled Ethiopia in the name of divine rule, communism and currently revolutionary democracy. When one out of every four person in the Horn and one out of every other person in Ethiopia is Oromo, it is sheer folly to continue to deny the primacy of the Oromo question. The success of any credible effort to bring peace, democracy and stability in the Horn depends heavily on the goodwill of the Oromo. The root cause for the many intractable problems facing the region involves the denial of the legitimate rights of people by oppressive regimes and the suppression of their productive capacity. It is high time that the world community stops supporting minority groups and reassess its perceptions about the great stabilizing potential of the Oromo people. Until the Oromo people are freed, stability would continue to elude the Horn of Africa.

To All Peoples in Ethiopia
Despite the sinister efforts of both past dictators and the current power hungry TPLF clique, the Oromo people’s quest for self-determination could not be silenced. It is futile to refuse to make peace with this inevitable fact. We want to reassure all people in Ethiopia that despite the malicious TPLF propaganda you have nothing to fear from the Oromo liberation struggle- for it is a struggle for the deliverance of all peoples from permanent states of war, oppression and suffering in the hands of tyrants. Rest assured that the Oromo would remain true to its age-old tradition of tolerance, justice and peaceful co-existence with freedom. We call on all people to reject TPLF’s machinations and join the Oromo people in its struggle to overcome tyranny, and usher in a new era of hope for all people in the Horn.

Victory to the Oromo People!