โ€œOromummaaโ€ Is an Identity, Not a Security Threat โ€“ Rejecting Politicalย Manipulation

Statement of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)
โ€œOromummaaโ€ Is an Identity, Not a Security Threat โ€“ Rejecting Political Manipulation
May 26, 2025 | Finfinne

1. On Eritreaโ€™s Independence Day: Acknowledgment and Critique

The OLF acknowledges Eritreaโ€™s 34th Independence Day and the sacrifices of its people. However, true freedom remains incomplete while Eritreans endure human rights abuses and extreme povertyโ€”issues murmured by generations awaiting justice.

President Isaias Afwerkiโ€™s speech, framed throughย ERI TV, raised alarming misrepresentations:

  • He portrayed Africaโ€™s instability as rooted in foreign dependency, yet ignored his regimeโ€™s role in regional crises.
  • He falsely linked Ethiopiaโ€™s conflicts over the Nile and Red Sea toย โ€œOromummaa,โ€ย a deliberate distortion of Oromo identity.

This is not ignoranceโ€”it is aย strategic conspiracyย to scapegoat the Oromo people for broader geopolitical failures.


2. The Dangerous Misrepresentation of Oromummaa

Oromummaa is not a political agenda.ย It is the cultural, historical, and social identity of the Oromo peopleโ€”a symbol of self-determination and unity. Yet, Eritrean leaders and Amhara elites (heirs of theย Minilik regime) are:

  • Weaponizing Oromummaaย as a โ€œsecurity threatโ€ to justify repression.
  • Promoting divisive ideologiesย (Ethiopiawinet, Eritreawinet, Tegaruwinet, Amharanet) to erase Oromo identity.
  • Aligning with Ethiopian elitesย (e.g., calling Abiy Ahmed a โ€œprophetโ€) to suppress Oromo rights.

This is aย historical betrayal. The Eritrean government, once a ally in liberation, now fuels oppression.


3. Historical Betrayal: Eritreaโ€™s Role in Undermining Oromo Liberation

The OLF fought alongside the EPLF and TPLF against the Derg, envisioning aย free, federal Ethiopia. Yet, after victory:

  • The EPLF conspired with TPLF to sideline the OLF,ย strangling democracyย and enabling TPLFโ€™s 27-year dictatorship.
  • The 1998โ€“2000 Eritrea-Ethiopia war, waged for political gain, cost countless lives.
  • In 2018, Eritrea again sabotaged Oromo aspirations by backing Abiyโ€™s regime,ย extinguishing hopes for freedom.

Hindering Oromummaa is not just historical revisionismโ€”it is a plot to deny self-determination and perpetuate dictatorship.


4. Oromummaa: The Path to Unity, Not Division

The Oromo peopleย rejectย the false narrative that their identity threatens the Horn of Africa. In truth:
โœ”ย Oromummaa is the solutionโ€”it fosters ethnic unity, democracy, and lasting peace.
โœ”ย Propaganda against Oromummaa will fail, as it has throughout history.
โœ”ย No nation can silence the Oromo struggleย for equality, sovereignty, and justice.

To the Eritrean and Ethiopian regimes:ย Your fearmongering only exposes your weakness. The Oromo people cannot be erased.

To the world:ย Recognize these lies. Stand with truth.


5. Conclusion

  1. Oromummaa is our identityโ€”not a weapon for regimes to exploit.
  2. The Oromo struggle is unstoppable.ย No propaganda can break our resolve.
  3. The peopleโ€™s will prevails.ย Victory belongs to the masses.

Victory to the Oromo People!
Victory to All Oppressed Nations!

Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)