[Ethiopia]

Jaal Marroo, commander of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), warned Abiy Ahmed that pro-government fighters were defecting and the rebels were very close to victory. “What I am sure (of) is that it is going to end very soon,” Jaal, whose real name is Kumsa Diriba.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Yesterday around 8pm, Gambella Special Force launched an unprovoked attacked on Gambella Liberation Army, where the two parties participated in a heated battle, resulting in great victory on GLF side. Gambella Special Force lost their initiated battle with Gambella Liberation Front, which left Akula’ Leader and two Special Force Officers badly wounded and five of them killed in the battle.

Due to their lost, it caused great anger, where the Special Force are currently intimidating and arresting farmers for no apparent reason and forcefully sending youth to war.

Where there is UNITY, there is VICTORY!

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

I watched and listened to with utmost interest and expectation the presentation of President Biden’s envoy for the Horn Africa, Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman.

Generally, the Tigraian people appreciate the positions of the US Government officials including the former Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, the current director of USAID and the incumbent US Ambassador to the UN Lynda Thomas Greenfield for their honest assessment of the war in Tigrai. The war was a deliberate invasion by Eritrea who lost a similar war of aggression in the so called Badme strip of Ethiopia in the year 1998-2000. The reason de etre for the ongoing devastating war, however, are a complex of interplays of the politics of the Red Sea. To start with, there is a historical parallel between the eastern coast of the Red sea and the western side. About 1,500 years back, the most powerful emperor of the Aksumite, Hatsay Kaleb crossed the Red Sea to allegedly quell the persecution of fellow Christians by Dhu Nuwas in Najjran, todays Saudi Arabia. The real factor for the conquest could be a desire by the emperor to control the maritime route. If it was the alleged persecution of Christians, his vassal the commander Abraha would not stay there for forty years, establish the city of Sana’a, currently the Yemeni capital. Records from both sides of the Red Sea also mention how Abraha was on his way to Mecca to destroy the Ka’ba but died in the Tihama (lowlands) of Yemen, Experts believe it was Falciparum malaria.
What has this historical context or precedent got to do with the current conflict in Tigrai? It has everything to do with ‘who controls’ the Red sea route. After all, there is an independent country called Eritrea and the entire red sea coast belongs to Eritrea. Here lies the nexus of the problem. In the name of peace making the rogue state of Eritrea rented Asab port for the UAE to build a military base. This was soon after UAE contractor DP World to modernize the Djibouti port failed. The Expansionist policies of the UAE is at the helm of the conflict in Yemen. The UAE went one step farther when it occupied the Yemeni island of Socotra that led to a public outcry. More evidences can be said about the ill-conceived strategy of the UAE. For the war in Tigrai, the relevance is the connection of the so called peace making between Eritrea and Ethiopia with Saudi Arabia and UAE as sponsors. The Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders got the ‘Nobel Prize’ from the Saudi king long before the Nobel committee in Norway even short listed Abiy Ahmed to be a candidate for peace prize in 2019. What is even more intriguing and paradoxical is the African Union whose seat is in Addis Ababa downgraded to be a bystander in fact an onlooker on such a huge agenda of war and Peace in Africa.
The driving force for the drama of peace making turned to an all-out war between Tigrai and the Government in Addis Ababa with Eritrean troops playing a decisive role. If the cause of the war was not to do with who controls both sides of the Red Sea why did UAE send drones to support the Abiy and Isaias joint war to eliminate the people of Tigrai?
What stake for Jeffrey Feltman’s presentation and interview at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) anyway? Again this question must be put into context. The US foreign policy is guided by its national security and economic interests. The content of the speech hinged on three important issues: First, a call for the parties at war to put down their arms and go for a negotiated settlement. Ambassador Feltman suggested the designated African Union envoy, former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, be accepted to make it look African solution for an African problem. He was candid, however, that the US would be engaged from behind. Second, he suggested that the TPLF withdraws from Amhara and Afar states but failed to add that the Amhara militia withdraw from western Tigrai. Ambassador Feltman suggested the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia too. Third, Feltman expressed concern for the devastating famine in Tigrai due to the siege but failed to come boldly to condemn it as genocide even when he was pressed to respond to the mass murder and mass rape by USIP. It was clear that by using words such as concern, humanitarian disaster, atrocities and the like, he replied to the facilitator of USIP that he looked forward to see the upcoming report of the UN Human Rights commission. The UN Human Rights Report, Ambassador Feltman admitted was concocted by the government sponsored Ethiopian Human Rights Council, making it a report dead on arrival anyway. How can a report authored by the very perpetuators of the genocide be a credible report?
Feltman has misunderstand and failed to dig into the problem facing Ethiopia. It is one thing to promote and guard the national security interests of the US which is a plausible and an accepted policy of all nations. But it is altogether different to go to the bottom of issues and find a lasting peace for the people concerned. We do not subscribe to solutions witnessed in the Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. It matters little whether it is an African or an American solution in so far as it is not a durable peace. What is needed is a lasting, sustainable peace for all peoples concerned.
The Government of Tigrai was driven out from power by force not only from within Ethiopia but by an axis of forces: the invited and paid mercenaries of Eritrea, the drones and dollars of UAE, and troops from Somalia. Countries like Turkey and others are also selling drones and other military wares to the regime in Addis Ababa. Why did Ambassador Feltman choose to skip these facts? Why did he fail to see the asymmetry in alignment of forces in the war? How can we make peace where many hands have stains of blood? How can we stop marching to Addis Ababa when the people who keep the keys to our pensions and other savings are there? The people who excommunicated Tigrai from the world for 12 months are in Addis Ababa. Ambassador Feltman, come what may, the people who denied Tigrai medicines are there so we will breach the siege. After all, Addis Ababa is our capital city, who can stop us from marching to the capital?
Shila Mereb
3 November 2021

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Through its successive operations over the past months, the OLA has begun to successfully reverse the Prosperity Party led genocidal campaign on the Oromo people and free a large swath of territory in Oromia from suppression. Other wars taking place in Ethiopia have their roots in the dictatorial mishandlings and inta-power struggle within the now defunct EPRDF camp. As different factions wage war to occupy and/or cling onto power through the barrel of the gun, our people have been caught in the crossfire and are paying the ultimate price. 

Specifically, our people in Wollo have been living through this brutal civil war for three reasons. First, there are some who have fallen prey to Prosperity Party (PP) propaganda campaign that paints Tigrayans fighters as a foe. Second, extreme Amhara nationalists of the Gondar and Gojjam shade have been pushing the war in the Amhara region from Gondar to Wollo, and finally, whatever the source of the war, our people were forced to engage as they do not have a government that can protect their safety and security in the midst of a civil war being fought in their neighbourhoods. 

OLF-OLA would like to reiterate again that the genocidal Prosperity Party army and its allies including the Amhara Special Forces, Militia and Fano should not get any form of support from our people in Wollo. Assisting these forces will be forgetting the recent ethnic cleansing in Shewa Robit, and the ongoing PP campaigns in Wollega, Guji, Borena, Matakat, Gindeberet, Wollo and many other places across the country. 

Our people in Wollo have the natural right to defend themselves against any incursion that comes on their turf. To mitigate the effects of this civil war, our people should organize, arm and defend themselves. Popular self-defence is part and parcel of the Oromo struggle for freedom and national self-determination. Therefore:

We urge some members of our community who have fallen prey to PP propaganda to dissociate themselves from a ‘government’ whose days in power are numbered; 
We would like to remind our people, friends of our struggle and the international community that the PP-led government of the Ethiopia bears the ultimate responsibility for the crimes committed in this conflict against our people in Wollo;
We call upon our people in Wollo to continue to join your own OLF-OLA and the Wollo branch of OLA to emancipate yourself from living as a second class citizen inside the Amhara region; 
We call upon soldiers and decent commanders within the PP army to stop fighting for a war with no cause other than keeping one man in power. At the very least, we ask you spare your own lives by leaving the army of a ‘government’ on the brink of collapse;
We call up on the international community to support our struggle for freedom and self-determination, and for the stability of the country and the region;
Dictators divide and rule oppressed peoples. We call upon all oppressed communities to be cognizant of Abiy’s divide and rule tactics, and to stand in unison with your brothers in arms; 
We would like to remind everyone that the solution to the political malaise rocking Ethiopia lies in true recognition of the peoples’ demand for self-determination, and not through keeping an individual or a group in power;
The only mechanism to extricate the people of the country from civil war is by creating a platform of democratic self-governance in which respect for the rights of an individual, and peoples can be simultaneously and sustainably ensured;  
In the absence of any semblance of a government that can protect the safety and security of the people—a prevailing condition almost everywhere in of today’s Ethiopia—the people will have the natural right to organize and defend themselves. 

Victory to Oromo People!

OLF-OLA High Command
October 27, 2021

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

OLA fighters broke into PP’s prison facility in Begi & released political prisoners in there today. Begi is a bustling business town known for its brand coffee produced by commercial farms at its environs in western Oromia bordering neighbouring Benishangul-Gumuz regional state.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Ethiopia’s Air Force conducted yet another airstrike on Tigray’s capital targeting civilians & a residential areas of the city. The explosive landed near Dom-Bosco Training College in 05 Kebele at around 10:25 AM, this morning, October 28, 2021.

Ethiopia’s air strike today targeted densely populated residential areas in Mekelle, Tigray. So far, 10 civilians killed & 21 wounded

Fascist Abiy Ahmed’s air strike, today has targeted yet another residential neighbourhood in the Tabiya 05 of the city of Mekelle. Members of two entire families are among killed & wounded. The Targeting civilians is what the Ethiopian regime is good at.

Who knew Nobel Peace Laureate will bomb residential neighbourhoods!

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Tigray Defense Forces have paraded captured ENDF Colonel, Tadesse Endale, commander of the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s 91st infantry division.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Abiy Ahmed’s Air Force did once again strike non-military targets around Mekelle University campus. The airstrike hit agricultural land next to the Mekelle University- around Endayesus targeting civilians & damaging properties/piled crop harvest – wheat.

UNHAAS humanitarian flight was compelled to turn back from Mekelle airport this morning.

While this is not outrageous enough, a UN Aircraft had to abort its landing because of the air strike. Our air defense units knew the UN plane was scheduled to land & it was due in large measure to their restraint it was not caught in a crossfire.

What begs the question however is the government cleared the UN plane to fly to Mekelle only to send its fighter jet in time to raid civilian targets.

While the use of the UN flight as a distraction couldn’t be ruled out, it is not entirely implausible to suspect that the Smart Alecs in Addis were indeed setting up the UN plane to be hit by our guns. The fact that the plane that came today was denied permit yesterday couldn’t be a mere coincidence.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

The Military Command of the Tigray Defence Forces has announced TDF have taken control of the towns of Bisitima, Hayk & the strategic commanding heights of Marye, putting Dessie & Kombolcha with in artillery range.

The TDF have taking control over Bistima and Hayk, puts them in control of Lake Hayk.

The TDF also controls Mariye west of Hayk. Heavy fighting took place today to control the lake, particularly around Bistima.

 

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

The Ethiopian Army lost at least four tanks to the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) around Dessie. Two T-62s and one T-55 were captured intact while one T-62 was destroyed. True armour losses are likely significantly higher.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Ethiopia is using children as soldiers in its dirty wars. He is 15 years old and a native of Arsi oromo, (Temesgen), he was sent to the battlefield by Abiy Ahmed and was captured by the TDF in Amhara region of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

OLF Press Release – October 17, 2021

It saddens us to report that our people of the Borana region, the powerhouse of Oromo culture and tradition, are under man-made and nature duress. For decades now, the region has housed as one of the strongest and persistent resistance struggles against the Ethiopian government for Oromo self-determination. This is not lost on successive Ethiopian regimes, who left the region without a shred of civilization, without sufficient roads, schools, hospitals, etc. In the backdrop of this regime induced hardship, that the recent drought befell on the Borana region.

The current drought is exacerbated by inaction and carelessness of the Ethiopian Prosperity Party and the Oromia Regional Government. While the Ethiopian Prosperity Party government has focused its full attention to the wars of its own creation: in the North with Tigrean Defense Forces and in Oromia with Oromo Liberation Army, tens of thousands are dying in the South, killed not only by security forces, but also because of drought which the government seems to have intentionally ignored.

Sadly, it has come to our attention that unless urgent action is taken to supply drinking water and food to the people and livestock in the Borana region, an immense proportion of calamity is in the coming. We have long observed excruciating pain in the Oromia region. The ongoing drought in the Borana region, a region that has taken exceptionally painful natural and political hits, is taking place while the world is in full compliance.

The OLF is aware of the effort of UN agency and would like to thank for their effort. However, the magnitude of this heart-breaking disaster could have been reduced if it has discharged its duty on time. We call on all NGOs, governments, friends of the Oromo people, able individuals, and neighbors to save the Borana people and environment before it is too late.

We call on citizens of Oromia all over the globe to give due attention and do all things possible to raise awareness on the situation of our people in Borana, mobilize all possible assistance to reach them stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this time of extreme hardship.

Victory to the Masses!

Oromo Liberation Front

October 17, 2021

Finfinnee

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

The Government of Dr Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party are Responsible for continued Cold Blood Murders of Oromo Civilians in East Wallaga – Oromia.
OLF Press Release – October 15, 2021
The OLF was strongly denouncing the repeated massacres of Oromo civilians by the central government budgeted Amhara Special Forces (aka Amhara Militias). Although using ethnic conflict as a political tool is a common policy of Ethiopian ruling system, the extent and frequency of the current conflicts are extremely high. It is to be remembered that the Amhara Militias had been deployed to Oromia and Benishangul_Gumuz Regions several times on their own as well as in coordination with Federal Forces and the Eritrean armed forces. To mention some of the recent ones: in the months of March and April 2021, large number Amhara Militias armed with heavy weapons opened fire on Oromo residents in East Wallagga in places known as Wast, Siredoro, Hagamsa, and Haroo/ Lalisee towns and they killed many Oromo civilians. At the same time, many Battalions of Eritreans were deployed to Metekel Zone, Benishangul Gumuz and East/West Oromia regions including Qellam Wallaga and West Wallaga Zones, Shashamane, Guji and Borana Zones and committed many killings.
Particularly the civilian killings increased sharply since Dr Abiy Ahmed vowed in public that he would deploy Amhara Militias to restore law and order in other regions of Ethiopia and his deputy PM, Demeke Mekonnen, highlighted providing firearms and training to the Amhara people to “defend themselves,” implicitly to realize their territorial expansion project to other regions. To the contrary, it is observable truth that the Oromo people had no right to have firearms and had been confiscated all sort of implements including machetes they use for farming and even banned from holding sticks that is a traditional way of life for Oromo men. This clearly indicated that this is intended not only undermining other regional polices but giving vital role to the Amhara militias that is being used to destabilize other peoples.
Although Amhara Militias massacring civilians repeatedly happened in Oromia, the OLF is immensely shocked by this round of brutal massacres of Oromo Civilians in East Wallagga in the last three days. According to the information we received, in the last two days (October 10 and 12, 2021), 40 Oromo civilians were murdered in cold blood in East Wallagga alone. On 10 October 2021, 25 Oromo civilians were brutally murdered by heavily armed Amhara Militias in Haro District of East Wallagga. The civilians were killed in extreme cruelty including massacre of nine people in one place. Out of the twenty-five victims twenty had their throats slit opened, and five were gun shot. Fourteen of the bodies have now been eaten by stray dogs as the gunmen refused to allow burial. We have received the details of eighteen people out of twenty-five killed in Haro District. According to the information the age range of the victims were 12 to 70 years old. Eight are Female and ten are male. Similarly, on 12 October 2021, 15 Oromo civilians were massacred by Amhara Militias in districts of Kiramu and Guto Gidda in a town called Luugoo, East Wallagga. These include the former Luugoo town administrator aged 55 years old; 60 years old man a father of five children; 70 years old woman and 17 years old young person.
In addition, in separate incident, the recently discovered bodies in Borana Zone are shocking news. According to the report issued by Prisoners’ Rights Campaigners on 13 October 2021, two Oromo young civilians known as Boruu Guyyoo and Derejjee Biraanu had been taken out of the Hiddi Lolaa Prison, in Miyo district of Borana and killed in cold blood by the PP soldiers and buried in unknown place. After long time searches by the victims’ families, the bodies of the two Oromo civilians were recovered on 13 October 2021.
OLF would like to express its condolences to their families that might have been affected by this brutal Massacre of Amhara Militias and PP soldiers. In addition, we want to make clear that the identities of the victims that were not known so far would be verified at the right time. The OLF strongly condemn these expanding brutal acts of terror by the PP government soldiers and its appendage Amhara Militias that is creating havoc throughout the country.
We would like to express our deep concern that Dr. Abiy Government’s actions of intensifying ethnic conflicts for political objective will lead to catastrophic ethnic genocide and put the country and the region in irreversible danger.
Therefore:
1. We call for independent investigation into these Massacres of East Wallaga regions so that it will be clear to the Ethiopian peoples as well as to the international community.
2. We inform the Ethiopian peoples and the international community that Dr. Abiy’s government and his prosperity party should be accountable for all the lives lost due to inflaming ethnic conflicts and should refrain from future atrocities that might happen due to actions of his ill motivated partial Government of Prosperity Party.
3. We would like to strongly remind the Oromia citizens that you do not have a government to protect you. OLF was informing you this for long time. Lack of Oromia regional governance exposed it to invasion by other regional forces, namely, Amhara regional government militia. The Amhara regional state as a core of ruling property party is supported by Central Government of Dr. Abiy that repeatedly deployed Militias to break the Oromo people’ lives. Thus, we would like to remind the Oromo people again that you must strengthen the Oromia Regional State National Transitional Government and protect yourself from regional invasion and restore peace and security in your region.
4. We continue to urge the international community to take practical actions using all tools available to pressure the Government of Dr. Abiy to respect human rights, and refrain from inciting genocide between nations and nationalities that would have catastrophic outcome for Ethiopian peoples and detrimental impact on peace and security in the region.
5. We also ask the international community to urge Dr. Abiy to abide by the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Republic constitution, and respect national, regional, and international laws on human rights and people’s rights.
In conclusion, the OLF requests the Amhara Regional Government to immediately withdraw Amhara Militias from Oromia regions as continuation such irresponsible actions will have more grave consequences for the people it claims to represent.
Victory to the Masses!
Oromo Liberation Front
October 15, 2021
Finfinnee

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

Most people have been misled into believing that, the spark of the war in Tigray was started by TPLF when they attacked the Northern Command. Which is very wrong. The war in Tigray wasn’t accidental, but well planned and executed.

However, Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Aferwerki of Eritrea, had earlier visited the Ethiopian air force a few weeks before the invasion. The two dictators visited the Airforce base as part of war preparation on Tigray.

The duo would later visit Sawa military camp in Eritrea.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Ethiopia]

 The great army believes in respecting POW(Prisoners Of War) and laws that govern  combatants.

The discipline of Tigray Defence Forces is not accidental, but part of the TDF ideology.

Ethiopia Autonomous Media

[Author]

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