One person reportedly killed as protesters clashed with security forces in Western Ethiopia
borkena
July 10, 2020
Radical ethnic Oromo nationalists have re-launched Oromo protest campaign as Jawar Mohammed, who was among the leaders of Oromo Protest I is incarcerated over the killing of a police officer, and possible involvement in the assassination of the singer, Hachalu Hundessa.
However, the campaign is framed as “justice for Hachalu Hundessa,” and “release political prisoners. On the other hand, it was assumed that Hachalu Hundessa was killed by “Neftegna” (a code name for ethnic Amhara speakers) without any proof.
A few days before his killing, Hachalu appeared on Oromia Media Network (OMN), whose owner was said to be Jawar Mohammed, and talked about Emperor Menelik within the context of “neftegna narrative.”
When he was killed in the evening on June 29 in the capital Addis Ababa, ethnic Oromo radical nationalists framed the tragic incident as the working of “neftegna,” through outrageous and inciting social media messages in less than an hour after the news was confirmed. In so doing, well over 200 innocent ethnic Amhara, among others, living in Oromo region of Ethiopia were savagely massacred.
Some of those who are in the Diaspora openly called for a massacre on Ethnic Amhara.
When security forces concluded their preliminary investigation into the incident, it became apparent that the singer was rather killed by Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in partnership with Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
However, radical ethnic Oromo activists in the Diaspora continued to protest while calling for road blockades and stay at homes in the Oromo Region of Ethiopia.
The strategy worked before during the struggle against TPLF dominated government before 2018, not this time around. Deployed security officers have started enforcing the rule of law which is standing in the way of radical ethnic Oromo nationalists who intend to topple the Abiy Ahmed government and “hang him upside down,” as some express it openly.
Two days ago, protesters who attempted to block roads in Wollega, Western Ethiopia, clashed with security forces. According to a report by DW Amharic, one protestor was killed. Earlier, authorities in the region reported over 4700 arrest in the region after the massacre of 239 non-ethnic Oromos.
Ethnic Oromo nationalists claim monopoly over the decisive struggle that brought about the changes that happened in 2018 which ushered into the resignation of Hailemariam Desalenge and the appointment of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The claim does not hold water in view of the fact that there was an even fierce resistance against TPLF rule in the North West of Ethiopia. Political forces that resisted the TPLF from within the establishment had played a significant role for the success of the protest in the region too.
Even if that is not the case, and even it the change ended TPLF is the works of radical Oromo nationalists and “their Qeerroo power,” it does not give a moral legitimacy for these radical groups to dictate over the rest of Ethiopians and massacre innocent civilians with impunity – as activists with no ethnic affiliations are pointed out.
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If anybody wants to see a free and peaceful Ethiopia first get rid of the most brutal party TPLF. And secondly your fighting have to be on the table and peacefully. Don’t kill anybody for whatever reason.