Oromia: Successful Takeover of the OLF

By Getachew Humnara | August 2, 2008

Email: ghumnara@gmail.com

Minneaplis, Aug 2, 2008 - The former Ethiopian military generals, Kamal Galchu and Hailu Gonfa, together with Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) inside and outside Oromia, have made successful takeover of the leadership of OLF led by Dawud Ibsa. The generals were joined with all of their reporting OLA commanders and some members of the executive committee of the OLF. This includes Lencho Lata and Dima Nagawo, former OLF deputy general secretaries and other high ranking OLF executive committee, including, Licho Bukra, Hassen Hussein, Lenco Baati and Yonatan Dhiphisa. 

August 1, 2008 in Minneapolis, members and supporters of the newly formed committee made a sweeping fundraising event, raised over $200,000. The generals who defected to OLF some two years ago, promised to re-engage the Oromo people marching for liberation and work for unity among various factions of OLF. They also promised to work with other Oromo organizations inside and outside of Oromia. Their ultimate goal is to move the OLF leadership inside the country.

The discussion over the weakness of the former Executive committee has been going on for over a year now. It was intensified among the Oromo younger generation over internet chat known as paltalk taking a chance on change.

On the other hand, members and supporters of Dawud Ibsa group also made a fundraising event the same evening. It has not yet been known how much they made, but it is for sure that they raised much lower than the generals' group.

It is not yet clear as how this newly formed group will engage arms struggle. In their statement issued yesterday in Oromiffaa, they will make a change in the behavior and style of the struggle of the Oromo people and the OLF in order to intensify the arms struggle.

The new group will have a lot of works to do to convince the Oromo people, among others: 1) it needs to show that it is for secular Oromian State, separating religion from power; 2) overcome regional issues, specifically with Wollega, the powerbase of the former OLF leadership; 3) deal with the West which has an eye on the Oromo struggle as a strive for creating an Islamic state; 4) neighboring countries, the Abyssinians (Amhara and Tigre) ambition and manipulation; 5) redefine the stance of OLF on the relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia and Oromia; and 6) the state of Ethiopia in general, etc.

Source: Ayyantuu Oromiyaa Portal