Oromo Liberation Front

Oduu

First Year Anniversary of the Popular uprising in Oromia

November 9, 2006 marks the first anniversary of the popular nation-wide uprising in Oromia. It was on this day that the Oromo people heave their liberation struggle to a new height, covering the entire Oromo land in a highly coordinated manner that has never been seen before. On this day, the entire Oromo population accepted the call made by its vanguard liberation organization, OLF, and staged protests against the repressive rule of the TPLF/EPRDF government by raising legitimate demands. Our people have shown to the enemy and to the entire world that our struggle has grown in maturity, size and extent. November 9 will be remembered forever as a landmark in the history of the Oromo people.

The sustainability, tenacity and dynamism of the newly invigorated struggle of the Oromo people that started on November 9, 2005 has shaken the very foundation of the regime on power. It has demonstrated once again that no repressive machinery, however elaborate and violently employed, can hold down the voices of freedom and liberty. The Oromo people have finally grasped that for their legitimate cause for freedom to be heard at home and abroad, they have to get organized, speak up and be ready to pay the ultimate price for justice. The year old fire that could not be extinguished by the TPLF regime proved that the Oromo people are not intimidated any longer by mass arrest, torture, and killings in their struggle for liberation. In the past, our inability to conduct a coordinated popular uprising throughout Oromia gave the regime the opportunity to crash isolated protests using brutal force. The current strategy of coordinated, sustained and widespread uprising has severely frustrated the regime. The movement is gaining momentum by attracting sympathy and support even from Oromos who are serving the government as civil servants and members of the armed forces. Important lessons have been drawn from the last year experience.

The popular uprising has given a severe blow to the repressive machinery of the regime and drained its morale. As a result the regime is gripped by a crisis from which it is unable to disentangle itself. Last year’s popular uprising has been very successful in promoting the Oromo struggle. We believe this year’s will enable the Oromo to wrap up the journey towards freedom with total victory. That is the popular resistance should continue with much higher coordination, vigor and intensity. Oromia being the breadbasket of the region, the Oromo need to, this time around, more aggressively and systematically flex its economic muscle as it does its demographic weight.

One of the shortcomings of past efforts was the inability to involve all sectors of society. This should be corrected and all sectors of the Oromo society. In addition the horizon of the struggle need to expand as to involve all oppressed peoples of Ethiopia to jointly usher in a new era of freedom and democracy.

In memory of November 9, 2005 our fallen heroes and heroines who gave their precious lives in the popular uprising of 2005, let us together sing the songs of our martyrs “maal dhaamanii?” (What message did they leave behind?). And let the sweet song of freedom rise from all the corners, all villages, and houses.

Victory to the Oromo People!

The Oromo Liberation Front

Division of Information

OLF Foreign Affairs

In addition to the fallen heroes and heroines, the following courageous Oromos were tortured by TPLF:

No	Name	Detention place	Detention period	Remark (suffering/torture)
1	Shamil Aliyi Mohammed	Ziway, Karchale	8 years	Ribs bone broken
2	Sori Sinyor Deresa/Aresa	Zeway	7 years	Paralyzed hand
3	Rasimo Fite Yadete	Zeway	9 years
4	Abdalla Haji Ali	Karchale	5 years
5	Yibeltal Alemayehu Balata	Harar	7 years
6	Mariam Hamu Nure	Goba	4 years	Malfunctioned hand
7	Jeylan Taba Kamiso	Hurso	4 years
8	Abdulkadir H/Mohammed Hassan	Goba	3 years
9	Rashid Sheikh Hisak	Zeway	5 years
10	Alemayehu Geleta Shogo	Karchale	6 years
11	Abdi Husen Ibrahim	Goba	6 years
12	Kuyu Obsa Betera	Negele	2 years
13	Alemayehu Idosa Ayana	Shambu	2 years
14	Abdulnasir Tibeso Sadu	Bilate	3 years
15	Abdo Adam Bati	Dallo	2 years
16	Mohammed Mahmud Omer	Gurawa	2 years
17	Abu Gemechu Badaso	Asella	2 years
18	Ismail Baker Weday	Diredawa	3 years
19	Kassim Sheiko Lole	Goba	4 years	Deaf ear
20	Jemal Idris Mohammed	Asebeteferi	2 years
21	Feyisa Omar Hassan	Goba	5 Years
22	Anwar Umer AbdulShakur	Goba	4 Years
23	Tofik Suleiman Ahmed	Dire Dawa	5 Years
24	Shamsadin Ibro Osman	Harar	4 Years
25	Abadir Ashim Abdulahi	Hurso	6 Years
26	Mohammed Dadi Tuke	Dire dawa	7 Years
27	Hussein Mohammed Ahmed	Bilate	2 Years
28	Hangatu Bati Imana	Galamso	5 Years
29	Zakir Sharafudin Hussein	Jimma	4 Years
30	Farhan Yusuf Musa	Goba	5 Years
31	Genemo Roba Sheko	Agarfa	2 Years
32	Ifa Jiregna Tisa	Didessa	8 Years
33	Burka Kadir Harka	Goba	5 Years
34	Mohammed Ahmed Omar	Harar	3 Years
35	Abdalla Bekri Omer	Asaba Teferi	4 Years
36	Omer Sani Mohammed	Zeway	3 Years	Amputated Left hand
37	Awal Mohammed Dube	Goba	6 Years
38	Omer Ibro H/Ahmed	Zeway	8 Years
39	Wendimu Feyisa Sida	Zeway	5 Years
40	Mohammed Ismail Kabira	Hurso	4 Years
41	Negewo Bullo	Dedessa	3 Years
42	Mohammednur Adam Butta	Goba	4 Years
43	Ramadan Mohammed	Dallo	2 Years
44	Jemal Hassen Hussein	Dire Dawa	3 Years
45	Abdulkadir Haji Wabe	Asella	8 Years
46	Beker Mama Bati	Goba	3 Years
47	Sultan Mohammed Siraj	Harar	4 Years
48	Hassan Aliyi Bati	Goba	1 Year
49	Jeyilan Kedir Bati	Goba	5 Years
50	Ibrahim Mohammed	Ginnir	2 Years
51	Yohannes Wakbulcho	Dedessa	2 Years
52	Ahmed Kamir Aliyi	Goba	2 Years
53	Kedir Ibrahim Ahmed	Hurso, Ziway, Kerchele	12 Years
54	Abera Yeshitila Feyisa	Hurso, Ziway , Kerchele	12 Years
55	Yusuf Uso Mumad	Shinille, Ziway, Kerchele	7 Years
56	Muhammad Abdulla Ahmad	Hurso, Ziway, Kerchele	12 Years
57	Khalif Zakir Musa	Baddanno, Ziway, Kerchele	9 Years
58	Abdurazak Ahmad Hassan	Hurso, Ziway, Kerchele	11 Years
59	Ahmad Yusuf Osman	Harar	9 Years
60	Abdullahi Musa Ahmad	Hurso, Ziway, Kerchele	7 Years
61	Dr. Jemal Mohammed Gemta	Hurso, Ziway, Kerchele	5 years
62	Yesuf Abdi Ahmed	Hammaressa, Ziway	3 Years
63	Mohammed Abdurahiman Umer	Hammarressa, Ziway	3 Years
64	Zeinaba Jemal	Dire dawwa	1 Year	Fractured leg bone
65	Hangatu Balcha	Sankalle	2 years	Tortured
66	Loko Dullacha	Yabello	2 Years	Raped and torched
67	Annane Ittana	Hidi lola	2 months	Raped
68	Dhakki Sorsa	Mega	8 Months	Beaten and Raped
69	Asefa legesse	Maikelawi, Shewa robit, Kerchele	3 years	Left hand damaged
70	Ramadan Muhammed	Ziway, Shinille, Kerchele, Maikelawi	5 years	Leg and back damaged
71	Deressa Roba	Ziway	3 and half Years	Hand amputated and fired with bullet twice
72	Abdulkadir Mohammed	Jijjiga, Dire dawwa, kerchele	5 Years	Tooth and face damaged
73	Umar Ibro Haji Ahmed	Ziway, Dire dawwa, Hurso, Galamso	9 Years
74	Lelise Roba Gelma	Karchalle	2 Years and 3 months	Left leg damaged totally
75	Araarsaa Lammi	Qore, Dire dawa	7 years	Left hand damaged
76	Mohammed Yasin	Mekele	3 years	Left leg damage, Psychological disturbance
77	Shamsadin Ibro	Machara, Gelamso	5 Years	Neck and hand damage
78	Ahmad Nedi Aliyi	Hurso, Harar, Diredawa	3 years	Damaged on his back from left side
79	Ahmad Yusuf	Kombolcha, Hurso, Ziway, Kerchele	10 years	General physical damage
80	Hayat Shemsedin	Dedar, Diredawa, Maikelawi	6 Years	Tortured, raped
81	Mohammed Jundi	Jijiga, Haromaya	2 Years	General Physical damage
82	Yusuf Ismael	Diredawwa, Maikelawi, kerchele	7 Years	>>
83	Safia Abdulrahiman	Harar	1 year	Beaten
84	Gezaign Bekele	Addis Ababa	2 years	Right hand fractured.
85	Zeleke Kenate	Dedessa	6 years	Damaged leg.
86	Wakoya Goshu	Hurso	1 Year	Hand and leg damaged.

NOTE: All of them had been tortured to differing extent and bear scar on different parts of their body!

Victory to the Oromo People!

Division of Information

OLF – Foreign affairs

Opinions published on News and Views section of this site are those of the authors and not necessarily that of OLF.

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