Military Response can never solve political questions/ OLF Press Release

Military Response can never solve political questions

Different Nationals under the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) oppressive rule in Ethiopia have been protesting using different means. They have been exposed to tyrannical, oligarchy, nepotism, ethnic discrimination and destitution caused by blatant economic exploitation. The Oromo people in particular have been subjected to unbearable misery ever since the time of conquest. Every attempt to alleviate the burden of this subjugation has been dealt using violent military campaigns and all sorts of repressive measures. One of such measures is misrepresenting people’s demands and use it to pit them against each other.

The peoples’ legitimate demand for their rights has been confronted by violent suppression; killing, torture and other ways of repression by the TPLF regime. The current violent repressive measures against the Oromo protestors, in which tens of youth were killed and as many more are wounded by daylight campaign last week, are a vivid evidence of this.

As if unleashing of its massive military power against the peaceful demonstrators is not enough the TPLF regime is conspiring to pit Tigrian nationals living outside Tiray against the hosting people by secretly exclusively arming the former with Kalashnikovs improvised with lenses imported from China for snipers. This is further evidence for the sinister motif the TPLF regime has for Ethiopia.

The OLF condemns such moves that target not only the Oromo people but all the peoples in Ethiopia who are peacefully demanding their legitimate rights. We want to affirm to all the peoples in Ethiopia in general and the Tigrayan people in particular that our struggle never targets any particular people but the tyrannical oligarchic system run by the TPLF, that subjugates all the peoples including the Tigraian. This position has been put forward from the inception of our organization that all the peoples in Ethiopia
are friends of our struggle, and any national has the right to live and work in liberated Oromia. Hence we call upon all the nationals not to heed to the defamation campaign that misrepresents our legitimate struggle but to fully support and side with the Oromo people.

The guarantee for future co-existence is not perpetuating military subjugation but mutually acknowledging and practically accepting the legitimate right of every people. We urge the Tigrayan nationals in Oromia to reject the move by the TPLF to exclusively arm them, which will eventually be used to pit them against the Oromo and other nationals. We forewarn that the TPLF is the sole culprit of any subsequent disaster that this move is poised to cause.
We urge all sectors of the Oromo national, both at home and abroad, to intensify the struggle to get rid of the over century old subjugation once and for all.

Victory to the Oromo People!
Oromo Liberation Front
May 5, 2014