Latest news with #Oromo
Daily News Egypt
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Oromo Federalist Congress Calls for Inclusive Dialogue, End to Conflict in Ethiopia
The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) has issued a forceful appeal for a new political direction in Ethiopia, urging an immediate end to the country's escalating conflicts and the launch of a comprehensive democratic transition roadmap. In a detailed statement titled 'A Country at a Crossroads: A Call for Unity, Peace, and a New Democratic Journey,' the OFC Central Committee offered a scathing review of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's seven-year leadership. While the party acknowledged that his rise to power in 2018 once symbolized a hopeful democratic opening, it now characterizes his tenure as a 'chronicle of squandered hope' marked by repression and unfulfilled promises. The OFC described Ethiopia as mired in overlapping political, security, economic, and humanitarian crises, attributing the root cause to a deep political breakdown. 'The promise of 2018 has been betrayed by an authoritarian project,' the statement reads, accusing the government of closing political space and pushing opposition groups toward armed resistance. Highlighting what it calls 'destructive wars' across the country, the OFC pointed to continued violence in Oromia, intensifying clashes in the Amhara region, and a deteriorating peace in Tigray. The party also condemned the government's controversial Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland, arguing that it violated regional sovereignty and damaged Ethiopia's diplomatic credibility. Economically, the OFC blamed state policies for widespread hardship and growing inequality. It denounced what it termed the 'false promise of liberalization,' accusing the administration of ceding national economic control to foreign interests. The statement noted soaring living costs and the government's failure to improve the livelihoods of public servants, particularly teachers and health workers. The OFC also raised alarm over what it views as a deliberate weakening of Ethiopia's multinational federal system. The party criticized the creation of federal 'command posts' in regional states and legislative measures it claims erode constitutional autonomy. Looking ahead to the 2026 national elections, the OFC outlined a set of urgent demands to reset the country's democratic trajectory. Chief among them is an immediate and verifiable cessation of hostilities in Oromia and Amhara under international supervision. The party also called for: • An inclusive peace process involving all political and armed actors • The unconditional release of political prisoners, including journalists and OFC members • Reopening of closed party offices and reinstating civil liberties • Legal safeguards for freedom of assembly, media, and peaceful political activity • A reconstituted National Electoral Board (NEBE) selected through a transparent, multiparty process The OFC emphasized that Ethiopia's current path is unsustainable and urged all Oromo civic and political forces to unify in a broader democratic coalition. It called on the government to abandon its reliance on military solutions and embrace political negotiation and maturity. In its closing message, the party appealed to the international community—including the African Union, United Nations, European Union, and United States—to move beyond statements of concern. It called for tangible diplomatic pressure to halt ongoing conflicts, uphold human rights, and support a genuinely inclusive transition toward democracy. As Ethiopia approaches a critical political juncture, the OFC's call underscores the urgency for dialogue, reform, and a peaceful resolution to the country's mounting crises.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-07-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Celebrating the living
Wolseley Earlier this month I experienced a first. I attended a celebration of life for a person who is alive and well. As someone who has been present at numerous funerals and given too many eulogies to count, the act of paying tribute to someone very much with us here on this earth left an indelible mark on me. And it aligned with my long-held belief that appreciating people while they're alive is definitely better than waiting until they're dead. While posthumous tributes can play an important role in bringing closure and comfort to family and others, the idea of bringing more mindfulness to how we spend our time with others here and now is worthy of attention. The gathering was held for a colleague who changed my life in countless ways. A former political prisoner from the Oromo community in Ethiopia, persecuted and tortured for his beliefs, language and culture, he not only overcame but lived his life in the service of others, continuing to inspire, educate and mentor others so they could live a better life. He became a friend when I worked at Manitoba Interfaith and Immigration Council, more commonly known as Welcome Place. Photo by Janine LeGal Community correspondent Janine LeGal recently attended a celebration of life for a person who is alive and well. It was an honour and a privilege to speak about Mohamed Damsho Ali's outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to his community in Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton as well as his contributions outside of those. As a settlement worker and interpreter for newcomers, his commitment was obvious and nothing was more important than ensuring that he was available to help people. It's rare that in this life we meet someone who gives so freely to others as much as he has given. He has changed lives, and helped people of every age from around the world. He's reunited long lost families. And he's helped give countless others a new life in Canada, while remaining a support person as they navigated the complexities of intercultural challenges. My friend Damsho didn't just give his time. He gave families new to Canada hope. And showed them how to make this country a home. This was never just a job for him. It was a calling and he lived it 24/7. The celebration of life event brought together friends, family and colleagues from several provinces and states as well as more than one country. Guest speakers gave presentations in English and in the Oromo language on the screen and in person. There were laughs and there were tears in the beautifully decorated space. And the best part was knowing that the person we were commemorating was right there in the crowd with us listening intently and taking it all in. 'For far too long, our stories of courage and sacrifice have been told only after our heroes are no longer with us,' organizer and host Mustefa Musse Ebro said. 'But today, we shifted that narrative. We gathered not in mourning, but in gratitude — to uplift, honour, and say thank you to a living legend whose sacrifices have paved the way for our pride, our dignity, and our identity as Oromo people and as human beings. Mondays A weekly look at news and events that matter in your communities. Ebro added that when our mutual friend had experienced a recent health scare, the experience prompted him and his co-organizers to move to action and organize what turned into a most memorable, lovely and widely attended event. The Oromo community is an example of rising together to lift each other up, of connection and belonging, which is so desperately needed these days. As Damsho would say, 'There's no such thing as your problem, or my problem. It's our problem.' Imagine a world like that. A place where people never suffered or struggled alone. A place where people valued each other with words and gestures every day. I'm eternally grateful to the Oromo community for showing me that what sometimes seems impossible is actually very much possible. And now, I have one more reason to be indebted to this vibrant community, which has taught me so many important life lessons. A celebration of life to gather not in mourning, but in gratitude, is something we might do well to do more than consider, but to implement on a regular and frequent basis with everyone we know and love. Janine LeGalWolseley community correspondent Janine LeGal is a community correspondent for Wolseley. Know any interesting people, places and things in Wolseley? Contact her at: janinelegal@ Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Telegraph
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Migrant can stay after judge confused his Somali clan with Hawaii
An African asylum seeker has won a reprieve to remain in the UK after an immigration judge confused his Somali clan with the island of Hawaii. The mix-up between the US state and the Hawiye people was one of a catalogue of 'errors' in a judgment denying the man's claim to stay in in the UK. The decision also wrongly stated that the asylum seeker's children were born in Egypt instead of Ethiopia, and made a 'bizarre reference to a kookaburra farm', a new ruling has revealed. The kookaburra is a bird native to Australia and New Guinea. The man, who was given anonymity by the asylum tribunal, will now have his case reheard after it was concluded that Sureta Chana, the judge responsible for the mistakes, showed an 'absence of care'. The case, disclosed in court papers, is the latest example uncovered by The Telegraph in which illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have been able to remain in the UK or halt their removal. 'Significant number of errors' The African asylum seeker's claim was initially rejected by a First-Tier Tribunal. He had claimed to be originally from Somalia, where he said he was at risk of persecution by the Hawiye clan, one of the largest tribes in the country. He told the Home Office that he had lived unlawfully in Ethiopia for a number of years before he left because of mistreatment by the Oromo tribe, which makes up more than a third of the population. British officials believed he was from Ethiopia, not Somalia and the First-Tier Tribunal rejected his claim on the basis that he would be entitled to Ethiopian citizenship. He appealed and an Upper-Tier Tribunal found there had a 'a significant number of typographical and factual errors' in the judgment, which demonstrated a 'failure to exercise anxious scrutiny'. First there was the reference to the 'Hawaii' rather than Hawiye clan. It also wrongly stated that the [asylum seeker]'s children were born in Egypt instead of Ethiopia. There was the 'bizarre reference to a 'kookaburra farm'', while the Lower Tribunal had miscalculated 'the length of the [asylum seeker]'s residence in Ethiopia'. It stated that the appeal had been heard on Jan 1 this year, a date on which the First-Tier Tribunal does not sit. It dated the decision as 28 March 2017, several years before the asylum claim was made. 'Absence of care' It also found that the judge had made findings about Ethiopian nationality law when the evidence showed he had no right to naturalise as an Ethiopian citizen. The judge also misquoted a previous case and was 'wrongly conflating the [asylum seeker]'s fear of the Oromo tribe in Ethiopia with his fear of the Hawiye clan in Somalia'. Upper Tribunal Judge Leonie Hirst said: 'The First-Tier Tribunal's decision displays throughout an absence of care, evidenced by the numerous typographical and factual errors identified in the [asylum seeker]'s grounds of appeal. That however is not the only material error in the decision. 'On the issue of the [asylum seeker]'s nationality, which was central to the appeal, the judge appears to have taken judicial notice of Ethiopian nationality law without evidence or submissions on that point. 'Her conclusion that the [asylum seeker] was entitled to Ethiopian citizenship was unsupported by the evidence before her and her reasoning was insufficient to explain how she reached her conclusions.'
AFP
29-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of Ethiopian mayor admitting she confided in rebel group is fake
'Adanech has leaked secrets,' reads the text overlay on a video posted on Facebook on May 18, 2025. Image Screenshot of the altered post, taken on May 26, 2025 The post contains a 22-second clip that shows Adanech speaking at a gathering. 'My ex-husband was Amhara, and we had one daughter together. Following our minor dispute, he joined the Fano forces,' Adanech appears to say. Fano is a militia group in Ethiopia's Amhara region that has been fighting against the Ethiopian army since July 2023. 'He is currently fighting with our government, but we often talk over the telephone since he is my daughter's father,' Adanech appears to add. 'Sometimes he mocks me and says: 'We are heading to Addis Ababa, are you ready?'.' The text accompanying the post reads: 'You Amhara men, did we not tell you not to marry women from any other ethnicity, but Amhara only?' Adanech is Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group. Similar posts were also shared here and here on Facebook. Addis Ababa development Ethiopia is experiencing armed conflicts in its two major regions: Oromia and Amhara. AFP's investigations revealed that the warring parties are using advanced disinformation tactics to smear their opponents, which is contributing to ethnic polarisation (archived here). Adanech has also faced trouble closer to home. AFP has reported on the demolition of historic buildings in the heart of Addis Ababa as part of Ethiopia's extensive urban development projects (archived here). Critics say the urban renewal scheme, known as the Addis Ababa Corridor Development Project, has not only wrecked buildings but also the history and identity associated with the area. Last month, Amnesty International called on the Ethiopian government to immediately halt the projects that it says have led to 'forced evictions' (archived here). Adanech has defended the projects as a benefit to society as a whole by creating wide roads, cycle paths and children's playgrounds. However, her speech purportedly revealing how she had leaked sensitive information to Fano was altered. Unrelated speech AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The results established that a longer original video was published on the official YouTube channel of state-owned broadcaster Addis Media Network (AMN) on May 18, 2025 (archived here). An Amharic caption accompanying the video reads: 'Mayor Adanech Abebie noted that the city residents have benefited from the project accomplished in collaboration with business owners.' The video begins by showing dilapidated houses in cramped neighbourhoods, followed by testimonials from residents who say their lives have been improved by the new homes built by the city. About a minute into the original video, Adanech begins speaking in Amharic about housing projects for low-income residents in the district of Addis Ketema: 'I remember it was even difficult to get into those areas and do the excavation work because it was very confined there.' 'This situation has changed and pleasant residential buildings with good streets and playgrounds for children have been built in the area,' she adds. At no point did Adanech mention a former husband or Fano rebels. Artificially-generated audio The false Facebook post took a passage from Adanech's original speech (from 4'02' to 4'22'), slowed it down slightly, and replaced her words with AI-generated audio. Image Screenshot of the original video (left) and the false clip, taken on May 27, 2025 While the audio is in Amharic, the accent is off. There are also clear discrepancies between the words and Adanech's lip movements. For example, during the phrase 'minor dispute and he mocks me', her lips barely move. These are all clear signs that the audio was AI-generated. AFP Fact Check also ran the audio through an audio deepfake detector called DeepfakeTotal. Image Screenshot of the results generated by Deepfake Total, taken on May 27, 2025 The results showed a more than 99 percent probability that the audio was artificially created. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked AI-generated videos on a range of topics in Ethiopia, such as here, here and here.
Daily Maverick
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
From conflict to cooperation: Rethinking security strategies in the Kenya-Ethiopia borderlands
Kenya's police have achieved some positive results, but lasting solutions require ongoing cooperation between the two countries. In February, Kenyan police launched Operation Ondoa Jangili ('remove the criminals') as part of security measures to drive the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) out of hideouts in Isiolo and Marsabit counties. The OLA is an informal militia fighting for self-determination for Ethiopia's Oromo ethnic group in the south of the country. Owing to its political orientation and culture of violence, it has frequently escaped Ethiopian authorities by crossing into Kenya. Marsabit and Isiolo are home to the Borana and Gabbra communities, both of which speak Oromo, thus providing cover for the OLA through ethnic affinity. Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service says the armed group broke away from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) after the OLF renounced the armed struggle in 2018. Ethiopian intelligence says the OLA has established ties with the terrorist group al-Shabaab in Somalia and is involved in illicit activities such as arms trafficking and illegal mining. The Kenya Police Service has also accused the group of engaging in arms, drug and human trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping for ransom and instigating tribal conflicts. In August 2024, two South Koreans were abducted from their Odda Mission Church residence in Moyale and allegedly handed to al-Shabaab in what Ethiopian intelligence says was an OLA-al-Shabaab collaboration. The OLA denies the claim. Kenya-Ethiopia cross-border insecurity The OLA says it has no presence in Kenya. This contradicts the country's National Intelligence Service Director-General Noordin Haji, who told a parliamentary oversight committee that the OLA was occupying Kenyan territory. The group has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety of Kenyan communities living along the border, pledging to respect Kenya's territorial integrity and expressing willingness to cooperate with authorities. The OLA accused Ethiopia's army and intelligence of facilitating transnational criminal networks and cautioned Kenya not to be misled and to maintain its balanced approach to regional stability. Kenyans living along the border are caught in the crossfire, often being detained by security forces for allegedly harbouring OLA fighters. Community members also face harassment by the OLA, which accuses them of spying for Kenya and Ethiopia's governments. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights says the ongoing police operation has sparked an outcry from those affected, who report human rights violations by the security forces. A lack of coordinated Kenyan-Ethiopian security force patrols along their porous border, marginalisation of border communities by both governments, and weak state institutions lacking the capacity to respond to distress calls have all worked in the OLA's favour. A resident told ISS Today that previous efforts by both Kenyan and Ethiopian security agencies to contain the OLA's activities were disjointed. That allowed the group to easily melt into the Kenyan population across the border when escaping Ethiopian authorities. As a result of OLA's incursions and a mismatch in Kenya and Ethiopia's firearm policies, the border region has suffered an influx of small arms. Kenya controls the licensing of arms, while in Ethiopia, civilians can legally own guns after registering them with the federal government. This fuels a cycle of insecurity as border communities acquire illicit arms for self-defence, creating a ready market for arms traffickers and the OLA. Memorandum of understanding In August 2024, in the build-up to the current police operation, Kenya and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation through intelligence sharing and coordinated operations. The countries also had a security defence pact ratified in 1964, which, among other things, allowed them to support each other if a third party attacked them. However, the pact lost significance as the Somalian threat at that time waned. Kenya's operation has uncovered 14 makeshift camps believed to be used by OLA members, 10 firearms, ammunition, fake US dollars and Ethiopian birr, and propaganda literature in Oromo. Several people with alleged links to the group were arrested, and the police claim to have disrupted human and arms trafficking networks while curtailing cross-border incursions and kidnappings. These are positive achievements. But as with all security force operations, the successes can generally only be sustained while the operation is active. Once it ends, illicit activities could resume. Longer-term measures and prevention strategies are also vital. For example, coordinated and ongoing joint cross-border security patrols, combined with state investment in infrastructure such as roads and education facilities in border areas, are needed. That would protect border communities and facilitate trade and investment, bringing stability after decades of upheaval. Kenya and Ethiopia should also establish a permanent joint border security management framework, including a 24-hour one-stop border post at Moyale and formal border posts in Forolle, Elhadi and Dukana. This would encourage trade and check the movement of criminal actors and contraband across the border. Also, while factionalism within insurgent groups makes engaging in meaningful peace talks hard, Ethiopia's government should consider dialogue with the OLA, as happened in 2023. Ironing out contentious issues and building trust could help settle the disputes among parties to the conflict. Lastly, security forces must adhere to the law when carrying out operations, particularly concerning human rights. This would build trust between them and local communities, with knock-on positive effects for intelligence sharing, and tracking and arresting suspects. DM
