Date: 3/12/@021 N0:A6112/2019
OLF Headquarter, Finfinnee
(March 12, 2021)
Due to the confusion created by a particular splinter group, organized and financed by external body,
from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), our organization was required by National Election Board of
Ethiopia (NEBE) to conduct an extraordinary General Assembly meeting to clear this confusion,
particularly in the leadership. The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has also supported the
intention of OLF to call a general assembly to resolve the confusion around the OLF leadership before
the forthcoming National election. To this end, OLF Preparatory Committee priorly elected by Central
Committee, and since then started working toward its implementation according to our constitution and
internal procedures of conducting a General Assembly. NEBE is informed by formal letter of this
committee to this effect. In the meantime, the committee has continued closely working and making
appropriate communication. For instance, we have been formally updating NEBE with our progress and
milestones of organizing the Assembly. At the same time, OLF has been appealing to the NEBE to
facilitate the Assembly by, for example, opening our headquarter office in Finfinnee, which was closed
forcefully by Addis Ababa police force. Even, OLF has written an official letter on 25/02/2021 to the NEBE
demanding to facilitate the opening of our headquarters and create a conducive environment for the
Assembly to be held.
As can be recalled that on 01/08/2020 the Addis Ababa police commission forcefully closed our
headquarters without due court process. Since this day, our headquarter was under the Addis Ababa
police commission’s surveillance who oversees all the activities that take place in the office and around
the compound. However, according to the information we are receiving, an illegal conference is currently
taking place in the office by a splinter group with heavy government police presence. Based on the
information we had, on 12/03/2021 OLF has written an official letter to the Addis Ababa police commission
to stop this illegal meeting before it is being held, and failing this, the police commission would bear the
responsibilities they took when they evacuated us.
We believe that this conference currently running in our headquarter is entirely illegal and should not be
allowed to a splinter group. Also, this is a lack of accountability to the body that knowingly concedes this
unlawful conference. The splinter group has no legal ground or constitutional mandate to undertake this
General Assembly, which also violates the organization’s constitution and internal procedures and the
NEBE registration rules of A6112/2019. It is important here to note that the Addis Ababa police
commission has no legal mandate to allow this splinter group to carry out a conference in our office
without the chairman of the organization’s knowledge and endorsement, particularly after forcefully
vacating us, the OLF leadership, including the chairman, staff, and members since August 01, 2020.
Therefore, the OLF would like to inform the Oromo people, the Ethiopian peoples, and the international
community that illegal, unfair, and political sabotage is taking place against OLF and push out the country
into more chaos. The whole responsibility lies on the government and its institutions on the impact of this
illegal act. We would also like to demand independence and impartiality of key institutions again in the country,
including the NEBE, the judiciary, and the government’s law enforcement branch, particularly the Addis
Ababa Police Commission to correct this gross mistake.
We thank our members and supporters for their vigilance and total boycott from this bogus meeting and
call for continued perseverance to protect their organization.
Victory to the Masses!
Oromo Liberation Front
March 12, 2021