Introduction Shimelis Abdissa, the President of Oromia, has introduced a new term—possibly a novel entry into the Afan Oromo lexicon—magaalomsuu, derived from magaalaa, meaning town. The term magaalomsuu is intended to mean “to urbanize,” and it resonates deeply in the context of Oromia’s rural-urban divide with strong socio-political connotations. He further stated, “Waan sadii magaalomuu…
There exists, in the crumbling, treacherous landscape of modern politics, a rare and nearly mythical figure—the Politician of Unyielding Principle. Unlike the fair-weather careerists who slither from one political feast to another, sniffing for power like a desperate hound at a butcher’s door, this individual is cut from stone, his convictions carved deep, immovable, impervious…
The Elephant in the Room The Ethiopian Empire, as it stands today, is a product of the late 19th century “Scramble for Africa,” when European colonial powers carved up the continent among themselves. Unlike most African countries, Ethiopia managed to resist outright European colonization. However, its imperial formation under Emperor Menelik II followed a similar…
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…
Ignorance is our enemy. When we are devoid of facts and logic, all we have is raw emotion. Emotion alone won’t do it. Rewriting fake history, like the fabricated narrative of Barara, won’t change reality. No amount of rhetorical flourish can override the weight of facts. And the fact of the matter is this: Finfinnee…
Some mistakes are mere slip-ups, while others leave the world scratching its head. The latter category—unforced errors of a daft kind—carries a special weight, often revealing deeper flaws in leadership, judgment, and strategic thinking. These aren’t the minor lapses of an exhausted official or the misstatements of an off-the-cuff remark; rather, they are self-inflicted wounds…
This article was part-featured in Ethio Forum’s news documentary: የሽመልስ አብዲሳ የምስጢር ሠራዊት፤ ነጌኛዎቹ ወታደሮች (5 Feb 2025). What Do You Do When Power Becomes the Criminal? How do you describe the indescribable? How do you find words for a reality so twisted that it defies logic, morality, and even the most basic human decency?…
Jawar Mohammed’s journey from celebrated activist to a controversial figure in Oromo politics reflects a turbulent trajectory shaped by hidden ideologies, contentious alliances, and fractured loyalties. Once a key player in both the Oromo and Ethiopian political landscapes, his career now serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of political opportunism and the consequences…
by Elemoo Qilxuu “Look at the OLF—fifty years. In those fifty years of OLF struggle, what have the Oromo people benefited? It’s time to sit down and review. Exhaustion!, exhaustion.” “ተመልከቱ ኦነግን ሀምሳ አመት፤ ሀምሳ አመት በኦነግ ትግል የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ምን ጥቅም አገኘ? ቁጭ ብሎ መገምገም ያስፈልጋል። ድካም! ድካም።” — PM Abiy Ahmed, October 31,…
Psychology offers a lens through which we can understand human behavior, particularly what individuals or institutions focus on and fear the most. This is often encapsulated in phenomena such as the Freudian slip, where underlying anxieties surface unintentionally. In the case of Oromia’s administration, their almost reflexive fixation on blaming the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)—…
by Elemoo Qilxuu When I saw these three people, the screen characters from The Three Stooges came to mind, albeit in a darker way. The Three Stooges evoke a mix of slapstick chaos, quick wit, and timeless, absurd humor that holds a special place in comedy history. But for these three Amhara elites, what replaces…
An Ad Hoc Personal Blog on Current Affairs. Look no further! I’m not talking about Shakespeare’s play. I’m simply borrowing its title as a metaphor. A “comedy of errors” typically describes a situation marked by a cascade of mistakes, misunderstandings, or coincidences that spiral out of control, often with humorous or absurd results. When people…
An accomplished Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) political figure was assassinated last night. His assassination was made to coincide with one of the major religious holidays, Ramadan, presumably calculated to bury the news amidst the celebratory atmosphere. The cruelty of the Ethiopian regime is only matched by the character of the martyr, Jaal Battee Urgeessaa, renowned…
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…
read this article with audio player Background The announcement of the formation of the Oromia Orthodox Synod on 22 January 2023 was widely welcomed among the Oromo nationals with an overwhelming degree of positivity. It was felt as though that was a wonderful good news for the new year. At long last the Oromo Orthodox…
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s focus should have been on theology instead of being an economic and political instrument that provides a way of life. In the name of religious teaching, the Orthodox Church made it possible for the Amharic language to expand across the empire of Ethiopia while at the same time allowing the Amharas…
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