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Many believe that ETH is the only country in Africa that was never colonized. To the Oromo, a nation of 50+ mill, ETH is still a colony. The independence of Oromia is a step towards achieving stability & peace in the broader East African region. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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If Oromia were an independent country, it would rank 30th globally and the 7th in Africa in population size. It’s time to chart a path towards the independence of Oromia and other nation’s currently a part of the Ethiopian federation. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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Where secession is concerned, particularly in non-western countries, the US is known to advocate against it. If the interest of the US is lasting peace in the Horn region, the prospect of independence can not be sidelined. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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Independence is not the end of the struggle, but the beginning of the work to build a just & inclusive society. So long as the people of Oromia are denied the right to decide their political fate, Ethiopia will not achieve lasting peace & stability. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
You can strengthen this call to action by sending a direct email to The Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa by:
- Copying and pasting the below email
- Inserting your name, city, and country of residence at the bottom of the letter
- Using the subject line: “Independence in Oromia: A means to stability in the Horn of Africa”
- Emailing the letter to: AF-Press@state.gov
Dear Jeffery Feltman,
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your work in the capacity of Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa. It is a trying time for the region, but we believe, with investment in the correct ideas, visions for the future, and courageous action, the people of the horn will know peace and stability again.
I am writing to you today as a concerned global citizen and as an Oromo. I believe in the values of freedom, democracy, and justice and I believe that Ethiopia, since its inception as a state and with the trajectory it is on, has made little effort to embody these values. The greatest affront that the Ethiopian state poses to these values is that, from the perspective of a large majority of the country, it was never a nation built on consensus. This lies at the root of every conflict we see consuming the country today.
Mr. Feltman, I am aware that the US’s interest is for Ethiopia to continue as one polity. I am writing today to urge you to consider the idea that, at this crossroads, the people of each member nation of the Ethiopian federation should get to make that decision. It is time this decision is actively made by the people. In the case of the people of Oromia, there has not been a singular moment in the history of Ethiopia where they have decided whether they accept or decline Ethiopia as their state.
The chapter of Abiy Ahmed’s premiership has been harrowing for Tigray, Oromia, and many other parts of the country. For Oromia in particular, state-sponsored violence has defined every single iteration of Ethiopian governance, preceding what we currently see. The solution has never lied in the ethnicity of Ethiopia’s leader. Rather, It is in undoing the culture of exploitation and genocide that Ethiopia was built on. The state of the country today is evidence that Ethiopia, as the ideological construct for a nation, is unable to evolve beyond these foundations. The time to consider the future of the region without Ethiopia, and with new nation-states, including Oromia, is now.
Mr. Feltman, as daunting as the formation of new nation-states in the horn of Africa surely feel - I believe it will be far more catastrophic to continue investing in Ethiopia without the people first deciding whether they see themselves in this polity, via a referendum. If the US is interested in sustainable peace and stability in Ethiopia and the wider Horn Region, advocating for a referendum is essential. No matter which way the people vote, we take on the next step knowing that the people democratically decided their fate.
Thank you, Mr. Feltman, for taking the time to read this letter, and I hope you will seriously consider the contents.
Kindly,
(Insert name, city, country)
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In May, 9th Grader Amanuel Wondimu was publicly executed in Western Oromia. Daily, ETH security forces, Amhara militia, & Eritrean troops are committing similar atrocities in Oromia & beyond. It’s time to imagine statehood, beyond Ethiopia. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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ETH is refusing to part ways with its founding practices of genocide, displacement, & marginalization. Is it reasonable, just, or kind to expect the Oromo and other nations to invest further in making the Union of Ethiopia work? We do not believe so. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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One way to ascertain the interest of the Oromo nation in independence is to collect the data. The Oromo, en mass, has never decided whether they accept or decline Ethiopia, as their state. A referendum is a place to begin. https://www.awashpost.com/2021/04/10/ethiopia-referendum-as-a-peaceful-political-solution-in-oromia-and-beyond/ #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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During the 1991-1995 TGE, the hope was that by pursuing regional autonomy, ETH could grow past its colonial origins. Instead, individuals & parties sought totalitarian control. The post-Abiy chapter should consider prospects beyond “Ethiopia”. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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Self-determination and freedom from colonial occupation are both internationally recognized human rights. ETH was created via colonial ambition and today operates as a structural empire. The Oromo nation has every right to become free of ETH. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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Some believe that if Oromia were independent, ethnically non-Oromo & ethnically mixed people would be unsafe. Minorities have lived safely in Oromia for decades. In an independent Oromia, pathways towards healing & justice for all would be charted. #OromoProtests @SecBlinken
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The #OLA must be understood by the Special Envoy as a critical factor in Oromia’s future. They are the only armed party in Oromia that protect & serve civilians. No political future for Oromia can be imagined without considering & centering the #OLA. @SecBlinken #OromoProtests