Opposition groups urge end to forceful measures, call for “meaningful dialogue” to resolve nationwide instability

  

The Caucus of Opposition Parties (CoP), an umbrella of eleven opposition groups in Ethiopia, said the government’s attempts to resolve conflicts and subsequent political instability across the country by force including declaring a state of emergency is pushing the country to the brink. 

The Caucus said in a press release, that the country is currently “experiencing a significant amount of chaos, stress, loss, and destruction not just sporadically but on a daily basis” and require prompt measures for a viable resolution.

“Conflicts, instability and public demands for good governance in all regions of our country are accompanied by people’s dissatisfaction and despair; and it can be said that the relationship between the government and the people in all regions has gone beyond mere questioning to total lack of trust,” reads the press release. 

The relationship, cooperation and trust between the federal government and regional governments, as well as among the regional governments themselves, have fallen into question, it added.

The press release which is an outcome of the Caucus’s evaluation of current affairs on 18 August 2023 stated the need for urgent and permanent action to spare the country further security crises, and absolve the people from pain and suffering of greater extent.

It elucidated that the government’s attempts in the past to forcefully resolve conflicts in North, and #Oromia, , “did not bring a lasting solution except to expand and worsen the political instability and tension, economic loss and destruction, loss of life  and social crisis”. 

The caucus which, among other parties, has the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Hebir Ethiopia, Arena Tigray Party, Wolaita National Movement (WNM) and Afar People’s Party (APP) as its members said it “strongly advocates for prompt and meaningful dialogue aimed at fostering tranquility among all political factions, for an enduring and comprehensive resolution”.

“Although there is a fear that the problem will recur due to the delay in the implementation of the agreement or the failure to implement it according to the agreement, we have actually seen that the disaster, the massacre and the crisis were not stopped by force or the declaration of the  state emergency, but by discussion, negotiation and agreement”, the press release emphasized noting that the attempt to resolve the security crisis in the Oromia region was an “indicator peoples trust in dialogue and negotiation”.

The parties have called on the ruling party to respond positively to the call of comprehensive dialogue, and urged the media and all relevant stakeholders to refrain from portraying the present state of affairs as conflict among the people while calling on religious leaders and elders to rise up and discharge their social obligations. 

#EnoughIsEnough #Jstice #Democracy 

At least 12 civilians killed in Chobi, Oromia , residents and opposition parties accuse Abiy Ahmed forces of indiscriminate attack

 Abiy Ahmed forces deployed to Chobi district of West Shoa zone, Oromia  to fight the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) have allegedly killed at least twelve civilians and wounded four others, residents witnessed. Some of the victims were shot dead while they were in their houses, while others were killed on the road on the morning of 10 August, 2023 in two villages namely Qoricha Koticha and Hofu Bake of the district.

STOP THE KILLING!!!

A resident of Hofu Bake village who said two of his brothers were killed in the attack witnessed that the killing was perpetrated by government troops stationed in the village “campaigning to eliminate OLA”. The resident said the killing did not distinguish between age and gender, adding that an 11 year old child and a 70 year old elderly man were among the victims.

Another resident who fled the attack to neighboring Jalduu district said besides those killed and wounded, five women and 20 other men were abducted by government forces and taken to an unknown location. The resident noted that his wife and one of his sons are among the abducted. 

According to the two residents, among the dead are four members of the same family; Gurmu Jifara, Tasfaye Jifara, Abarra Jifara and Abishu Jifara. Abishu succumbed to his injury later, while others were killed on the spot.

The two major Oromo opposition parties, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) have both denounced the killings which they described as “heinous and indiscriminate”. In separate statements released on 12 and 13 August respectively, both parties vehemently criticized the government’s “dry the ocean, to eliminate the fishes” approach, targeting the civilian population in order to annihilate the OLA armed group. 

Further detailing the names of the victims killed in Chobi, and highlighting other atrocities committed by Abiy forces in other parts of Oromia in the context of the ongoing conflict in the region, the OLF called on the government to restrain from “a war that it cannot finish” and pursue an all inclusive dialogue.

The OFC on its part called for an independent investigation into the killings so that political and military leaders implicated can be held accountable. The party called on both warring sides to acknowledge the impossibility of defeating one another on the battlefield and return to the negotiating table to spare the people who are caught in the crossfires.

In October last year, at least 68 people were confirmed dead and over 100 people are wounded in a drone strike Hofu Bake village, Chobi district, as the five-year conflict in the Oromia regional state involving government forces and the armed Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is still raging with no prospect for peaceful resolution.

Recent attempts to reach at a negotiated settlement through talks held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, ended without a concert outcome. Calls for peaceful resolution of the conflict, including from lawmakers representing Oromia regional state and the US government have so far yielded no result . 

Different countries are expressing the concern about Human Right violation carried out by Abiy Ahmed regime

 

Abiy Ahmed must resign!

Five countries express concern about violence in Oromia ; call for protection of civilians, respect for human rights

The joint statement from the governments of #Australia, #Japan, #New_Zealand, the #United_Kingdom, and the #US adds up to growing calls from #Ethiopia’s international partners over recent militarized violence that engulfed the regional state and the continued conflict in the Oromia regional state that have caused immense civilian deaths and destruction of civilian infrastructure including health and education facilities in Ethiopia’s largest regional state.

The countries also said they “encourage all parties to protect civilians, respect human rights, and to work together to address complex issues in a peaceful manner. The international community continues to support the goal of long-term stability for all Ethiopians.”

The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said  that it was “deeply concerned about the reported deteriorating security situation in the north-west region of Ethiopia, particularly in the regional state, and called “on all sides to respect human rights and take steps to de-escalate the situation and prioritize processes for the peaceful resolution of differences.”

In a phone call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already “expressed concern regarding the situations in Oromia Region.”

Although it is overshadowed by the recent fighting in the northern region, the five-year conflict in the Oromia regional state involving government forces and the armed Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is still ongoing with no prospect for peaceful resolution.

Recent attempts to reach at a negotiated settlement through talks held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, ended without a concert outcome. Calls for peaceful resolution of the conflict, including from lawmakers representing Oromia regional state and the US government have so far yielded no result .