DISCLAIMER This editorial opinion of OROMIA TODAY has been formulated in consultation with opinion influencers. What Just Happened? Reportedly, delegates representing a broad spectrum of political, civic, and faith-based organizations—16 in total, as stated—convened to deliberate on the political and security situation in Oromia. While the stated purpose was to discuss these pressing issues,...
A famous intelligent person once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That is precisely the dilemma Ethiopian opposition groups and liberation fronts find themselves in today. Despite repeated betrayals, failed negotiations, and a rigged political landscape, opposition parties continue engaging with a regime that has never...
I am looking at a picture of two young girls—perhaps in their late teens or early twenties. Their beauty is undeniable, yet it is not the kind of beauty that comes from youth alone. It is the beauty of conviction, of courage, of defiance. They are not dressed for leisure, nor are they indulging in...
"Believe it or not, we did not torture a single person." These were the words spoken by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister just days ago. A bold statement. A lie so audacious, so detached from reality, that it serves as the mother of all lies. The truth is written in blood and suffering. The Oromia region alone...
The Oromo's journey reflects the universal struggle for freedom and equality. From resisting colonial subjugation to fostering a democratic renaissance through Gadaa and Oromummaa, their story is a testament to the enduring power of collective identity and the pursuit of justice in the face of adversity. FREEDOM JUSTICE PEACE SAFUU SEERA ...
Excerpt: Ethiopia cannot achieve true peace without dismantling its imperial framework and embracing a new foundation built on mutual respect and empathy. The current National Dialogue Commission lacks legitimacy, inclusivity, and historical honesty, rendering its mission futile. Real unity cannot arise from coercion and exclusion. Only when all nations and nationalities are treated as equal...
The human thirst for power knows no bounds. Again and again, history and fiction remind us that when power is at stake, no bond—whether of blood, ideology, or brotherhood—is sacred. The annals of history are littered with betrayals that make us shudder at the sheer depravity of man’s ambition. Historical Echoes of Treachery Julius Caesar...
The last six years of Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party (PP) government have made one thing unmistakably clear—not just to core Oromo nationalists who have long recognized the Ethiopian regime's aversion to genuine peace, but also to the doubters. The oppressive yoke weighing on the Oromo people and other marginalized groups cannot be dismantled through peaceful...
In Dedication to Our Hero Jaal Damissee K. Sardaa (1945-2023) April is a month when Oromo communities all over the world remember their heroines and heroes (hereafter 'heroes'). Particularly, 15th April has a special place in the Oromo struggle for freedom. It is on this particular day, in 1980, that the Oromo people lost a...
Although no official region-based corruption index for comparison exists, based on the general sentiments of public outcry, Oromia is one of the most corrupt regions of Ethiopia, if not at the top of the league table. From minor traffic offences that can be settled by offenders for mere 100 to 200 Birr on-the-spot bribe, town...
— OROMIA TODAY EDITORIAL The audacity is jaw dropping, the miscalculation is mind boggling; the insensitivity will only hasten the end of an empire that is already in tatters. Yes, colonel Abiy Ahmed, PM of Ethiopia, just followed in the footsteps of his role models, Menelik II and Haile Sellasee I, in appointing a transitional...
By: Itana Gammada, June 29, 2021 A people under colonial occupation have a maximum of two choices, either stand up and fight for their freedom and dignity or accept humiliation, subjugation, victimization and perpetual slavery. Throughout human history, colonialism has never been an option. Rather, oppressed people worldwide make the necessary sacrifices to achieve their...
Ethiopia's vicious deadlock 27 April, 2021 by René Lefort The much-hyped democratic transition is not only dead but buried deep. It would need a miracle to exhume it in the near future. Last year, Tigray's leaders underestimated their weaknesses. The region's security forces were swept away in the conventional conflict and largely unprepared to shift...
OPINION by Michael Rubin | June 11, 2020 05:41 PM It is often forgotten that the worst dictators are often, early in their careers, lauded as reformers. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein was initially embraced as a “pragmatist” by diplomats and journalists alike. In 1991, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi...
Laetitia Bader Senior Researcher, Africa Division Click to expand Image Visitors view photos of victims of the Derg regime in Ethiopia's Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa on March 4, 2014. © 2014 Eitan Simanor/Alamy Stock Photo. “I want to move on and feel a part of Abiy's Ethiopia. I want justice and...
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/29/ethiopias-security-forces-accused-of-torture-evictions-and-killings-report Prime minister Abiy Ahmed has been lauded for his democratic reforms. But Amnesty International are now urging him to investigate allegations of serious human rights abuses Tom Gardner in Addis Ababa Fri 29 May 2020 15.15 AEST A man waves an Oromo flag as people from the community gather in Addis Ababa in October...
