By Staff Reporter
September 26, 2018 - Five Oromo ethnic parties issued a statemet condemning what they call political parties campaign to take away ownership rights of Addis Ababa city otherwise called Finfine by Oromo people.
The presser was issued by the Oromo Liberation front (OLF), Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), United Oromo Liberation Front (UOLF), the Oromo Unity and Liberation Front (OULF), and the Oromo Democratic Front (ODF).
In their joint press statement seen by Ezega.com on Wednesday, the five parties claimed that Addis Ababa had been the political and religious center of the Oromo people before they were driven out by force.
According to the Oromo parties, some political parties have denied Oromo people’s ownership right over “Finfine” and they rather are calling for exclusion of Oromo people and their administration from the city.
“FinFine is the residence of the Oromo people and Oromia regional state and this does not mean that other people cannot live in the city,” the political parties declared.
The Oromo political parties also said some group of people are conspiring day in and day out and injecting huge amount of money to create distrust and ethnic conflict between the Oromo people and the Amhara people, but the plot will never be successful, they said.
They did not disclose who the groups or entities are behind the conspiracy they claim is happening.
“Following the recent violence in some parts of the country, there have been attempts to take away the identity of the Oromo people that was accompanied by brutal killing in some parts of the country and attacking social and business establishments including schools, banks, colleges and companies that carry Oromo names,” the parties noted
The Oromo parties said some groups which lost hope of winning the upcoming national election are instigating violence in a bid to blemish the current government that it is unable to handle conflicts in different parts of the country.
The Oromo political parties expressed support to the existing language-based federal system and vowed to defend it.
Addis Ababa city has been and remain the cosmopolitan capital city of Ethiopia where almost all members of over 80 ethnic groups of the country live together since its establishment 127 years ago.
Any redesignation or meaningful change in the status quo regarding Addis Ababa will be a source of major contention or even conflict between the Oromo parties on the one hand and the many other groups on the other.
In a recent ethnic-based attack in Burayu town near Addis Ababa, one many people believe was perpetrated by Oromo youth, commonly known as Qeerroo, dozens of Ethiopians mostly Gamos were killed rather savagely. The five parties are apparently contesting that link between the attack and the perceived perpetrators.
Amnesty International has issued a statement last week saying that at least 58 civilians are killed in Burayu and over 100 people were wounded.