Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Suspicion and sacrifice as fighting spreads

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59433271

US voices concern over military escalation in Ethiopia

 https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/110325/US-voices-concern-over-military-escalation-in-Ethiopia?fbclid=IwAR2og_VjUtinrMRPn54SrdjTuPRtTm8JjUVQvKe38H9vXFeFfa55oApE05g

Ethiopian gov’t forces in control of Chifra: State media

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/28/ethiopian-government-forces-in-control-of-chifra-state-media?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%20Trending%20Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0yJZJzYU7YgcMZsJNuA5TUvUxBo6SJgpGNP8C0I4CLLzt1X3k1cCFxFfY 

‘I just need to know these people are OK’: CNN’s Nima Elbagir on frontline reporting

‘I just need to know these people are OK’: CNN’s Nima Elbagir on frontline reporting: The award-winning journalist is this year's Peter Stursberg Foreign Correspondents Lecturer CBC

Briton released from death row accused of inciting genocide in Ethiopia

 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/briton-released-death-row-accused-inciting-genocide-ethiopia/?fbclid=IwAR3_Z-W4FVG8N3ExEzALw8GeZAoYA3awsntiYxM_-BAa54HZNMuGuT35ygc

Statement by the Oromo Community of Minnesota - On the situation of Oromo political prisoners in Ethiopia

 Statement by the Oromo Community of Minnesota - On the situation of Oromo political prisoners in Ethiopia.

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Ethiopia is currently embroiled in a fully-fledged civil war. Years-long deadly fighting started in the northern part of the country between the Ethiopian government led by Abiy Ahmed and the allied forces, TPLF, and the Oromo Liberation Army are fast approaching Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. The international media, such as the BBC world, CNN, are reporting on the situation unfolding in Ethiopia citing the crisis looming large. Fearing imminent military showdown over the capital and ensuing chaos, the United States has called on its citizens to leave Ethiopia immediately. The US has decided to repatriate non-essential staff of the US embassy in Addis Ababa and also dispatched the Horn of Africa Special Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman in a bid to facilitate a negotiated settlement to the conflict. So far, the Ethiopian government has turned down a peaceful approach and continues to pursue the military path despite sustaining significant battlefield loss against advancing rebel forces. As a last desperate attempt to hold off the advancement of rebel forces, the Ethiopian government has called upon all able civilian citizens to take the arm and fight the rebel forces. We members of the Oromo community of Minnesota are deeply concerned by the escalating military conflict and irresponsible move of militarizing the society on the side of the Ethiopian government.

While we appreciate the diplomatic effort of the US government to end the conflict through dialogue and negotiation, we are dismayed by the lack of attention and concern to release detained Oromo political prisoners including Jawar Mohammed, a long-time resident of Minnesota. As per the account of family members of political prisoners, recently (November 18, 2021) there has been an attempt to make unlawful intrusion into their prison cell by federal police forces without prior notice to prison guards in what could be considered an assassination attempt. We feared some rogue elements within the government who wanted to exploit the current security crisis, owing to ongoing civil war that may cause harm to our political leaders.

As the fighting is approaching the capital, we are concerned that the life and safety of Oromo political prisoners are at stake. We have a well-founded fear that either the government or individuals who have animosity emanating from political and ideological differences could harm the political prisoners. We want to bring to your attention at this juncture that these political prisoners received credible life-threatening threats from their political adversaries before and after their arrests. Against this background, we are pleading with the US government to take action to ensure the safety and security of Oromo political prisoners. Importantly, we request the US government to call for the immediate release of Oromo political prisoners and participate in a post-Abiy Ahmed political settlement.

Therefore, we ask the US government

1. To issue a public statement calling for the release and safety of the Oromo political prisoners.

2. To call on the International Humanitarian Organizations such as the ICRC to ensure the safety and wellness of the Oromo political prisoners.

3. In collaboration with like-minded international actors to ratchet up pressure on the Ethiopian government to release Oromo political prisoners.

165

 

Ethiopia’s Tigray is under a ‘systematic’ blockade: WHO chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said Tigrayans across the country were being profiled and arrested by the thousands.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/12/ethiopias-tigray-is-under-a-systemic-blockade-who-chief?fbclid=IwAR2OcXEsA8sHHcHGTMmV9QtERPwcWxkLbY2jZdtMmoZ3sovsEmmfbzpnF0M&sf154416372=1

Leader of Ethiopia's Oromo rebels predicts victory 'very soon'

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211108-leader-of-ethiopia-s-oromo-rebels-predicts-victory-very-soon?fbclid=IwAR1Q0YiGCgOYM2-F5CNOEIWvpLcLJfE1naxjlMtCs-_Lb98h-ajRDpKRD0g 

Ethiopia’s Abiy urges ‘sacrifices’ as US orders staff out

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/6/ethiopias-abiy-urges-sacrifices-as-us-orders-staff-withdrawal?fbclid=IwAR3EeK7nOCMb-_U3XyYDFrBmgEoH2QUfoXB7FjLI1SKH37XH28nJ-TjTpV0&sf154046916=1&sf154046894=1 

Ethiopian rebels edge closer to Addis Ababa, as fears grow over all-out war

 https://edition.cnn.com/africa/live-news/ethiopia-conflict-updates-11-4-intl/index.html

US embassy in Ethiopia allows voluntary departure of some staff

 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/4/us-embassy-in-ethiopia-permits-voluntary-departure-of-some-staff?fbclid=IwAR02Akk1RY4tZYJf-gf9I6r8qdhwblZx-2k8ZgOkpjtTAKhvWEGMHxORGM0

#AbiyMustGo

 OLF Press Release on the Mobilization of Peoples of Ethiopia into Senseless War

OLF Press Release – November 3, 2021

It is distressing to see the Ethiopian peoples in general and the Oromo people in particular are unwillingly trapped into endless war and conflicts for more than a century. Since the formation of Ethiopian empire, the country remained the home of internal conflicts. In these vicious circles of conflicts, the majority of Ethiopia peoples were victims of war for more than a century long. Particularly the Oromia people, which is peace-loving society, having deep-rooted tradition of solving any sort of conflicts peacefully, had been the most victimized society under the endless war of the Ethiopian ruling system. The selfish nature of consecutive dictators of the Ethiopian ruling regimes, who mostly come to power by the armed military force, had plunged the Oromia citizens and other Ethiopians into war and conflicts from generation to generation. This Authoritarian type of political system packed with elements of dictatorial regimes had put the Ethiopian peoples into continuous war and conflict and left the country without shred of civilization and economic development.

The Oromo people had been persistently resisting these conflict- driven ruling system for more than a century. Particularly since the OLF started consolidating the Oromo national struggle for self-determination 50 years ago, huge sacrifices had been made to change the dictatorial and conflict-driven system into democratic governance. In this journey, the Oromia citizens, particularly the Oromo youth, has paid heavy sacrifices to change the empire system into peaceful and democratic governance.

However, the consecutive Ethiopian regimes, particularly the current Prosperity Party has chosen the war line and continued reproducing conflicts after conflicts and trapping the Ethiopian peoples in endless war. OLF denounces this repeated extension of war. In this regard, the OLF seriously denounces the recent call of the Oromia Regional Government (aka Oromia Prosperity Party) to intensify war against opposition groups. This last minute’s call of ‘every able body to fight’ has no contribution to the peace and security of the country but designed to keep the Prosperity Party officials in power at the expense of human lives. The OLF believes that sending innocent youngsters to the senseless war is committing crime against this generation. We strongly denounce this generational crime and believe the mobilization of civilians for this dangerous war has no positive outcome but will be additional loss of people’s lives and destruction of country’s resources.

We would strongly advise the citizens of Oromia to reject the recent call- to- fight issued by Oromia Regional Government and instead ask the Oromia citizens to focus on building their regional governance and defending their regional territory. In this regard, we call the Oromia citizen to strengthen their regional governance and solidify the structure of the Oromia National Regional State Transitional Government and protect themselves. Every citizen of Oromia must clearly understand that the widespread conflicts orchestrated by PP ruling group may engulf into Oromia regional state whereby the defenders must be only the Oromia citizens and its armed forces, nobody else. We also call upon the Oromia citizens to maintain and strengthen peaceful co-existence with its neighboring regions and peoples.

The OLF want to use this opportunity to remind the TPLF and its force TDF to respect the sovereignty of the Oromo People and refrain itself not to enter into Oromia territory militarily. We hope the reason of our reminder will be understood.

We would like to advise the Ethiopian peoples to denounce any call that intensify conflicts among peoples and instead focus your attention to peaceful way of reestablishing Federal Republic Governance involving multi-nation societies and work together for peace and stability and organize free and fair election that reflect the long aspirations of Ethiopian peoples.

We urge the international communities to step up for seeking genuine and all involving peaceful solution to multifaceted crisis in Ethiopia and pressure all the stakeholders for peace and security and to establish a transitional system that paves the way for all-inclusive political dialogue.

Victory to the Masses!

Oromo Liberation Front

November 3, 2021

Finfinnee

Facebook deletes Ethiopia PM's post that urged citizens to 'bury' rebels

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59154984?fbclid=IwAR0bj41nWGHkaEzkKhOem5vNZV4eM1SC2fT7kzc_FxGlUDgHk4BBctcHr44