Last modified: 2018-03-30 by bruce berry
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sent by Jaume Ollé,
15 Feb 2018
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After three days of a general strike in Oromia, the Prime Minister of
Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, has resigned and he also resigned as leader of the EPRDF
and the Southern Peoples Democratic Movement (SPDM).
The conflict started following an attempt by the government in Addis Ababa to annex some
territory
from Oromia. The dispute later included several former
political prisoners, including the vice president of the main opposition party,
Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), Andualem Aragie, and several jailed
Oromia politicians. The led to a general strike which resulted in
seven Oromo political prisoners being freed including Bekele Gerba (Jirata),one of the leaders of
the main Oromo party, the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC).
The Oromo Federal Congress (OFC) is a coalition that was formed in January 2009 by the Oromo
People’s Congress (OPC), led by Dr. Merera Gudina, and the Oromo Federalist
Democratic Movement (OFDM), led by Mr. Bulcha Demeksa. Both OPC
and OFDM are currently member parties of the newly formed Ethiopian national
coalition party – the Forum for Democracy and Dialogue (FDD) (later Unity for
Democracy and Justice).
According to the press release published at the time of its formation, the move
to create is: “to work together in the upcoming election.” Specifically:
* to organize public meetings together;
* to coordinate our activities in the Oromia Regional Council and at the Federal
Parliament as well as stand together in case of challenges at both levels;
* to solicit support both in side the country and abroad and share equally
resources mobilized together;
* to coordinate our activities when dealing with other political groups;
* even if, there are only few differences in our political programs agreed to
sort out whatever differences we have in the future; and
* to compete in the upcoming elections with a common platform and field
candidates in common.
The State of Oromia has 178 seats in the House of People’s Representative. The
Regional Council of Oromia has 534 seats.
The National Election Board of Ethiopia, an entity which has long ago lost its
impartiality, has refused to recognize the grand coalition between the two
independent Oromo political parties that operate within the framework of the
TPLF regime. The refusal to recognize OFC was a setback in the 2010 election
and a testament for the absence of any “political space.”
These two parties will mount real opposition to the ruling party in the State of
Oromia in the upcoming election; consequently, both of these parties regularly
report that their members are harassed and imprisoned by government forces
throughout Oromia. In addition, any form of gathering is not allowed in that
State; and members of OPC and OFDM are often accused of being “infiltrators” of
the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), the organization that struggles for the
self-determination of the Oromo people and left the Ethiopian government
coalition with TPLF in 1992.
It is to be remembered that TPLF security forces imprisoned more than 100
members of OPC and OFDM, including the General Secretary of OFDM, Mr. Bekele
Jirata (Gerba), and several other civilians in November 2008.
Jaume Ollé,
15 Feb 2018
Flag of the Oromo
Federalist Congress (OFC)
The Oromo People’s Congress (OPC) has a white flag
defaced with the emblem of the organization, while the Oromo Federalist
Democratic Movement (OFDM) has a flag which is black over white horizontal
stripes with a red triangle at hoist. On the white
stripe is a tree (in natural colors) and above the tree (in arch) are five red 5
pointed stars. In 2009 the OFC adopted this as its flag (Source: Flag Report, 72,
Oct 2014).
Jaume Ollé,
15 Feb 2018
Flag of the Oromo Youth League (OYL)
Images sent by Esteban Rivera, 16 Feb 2018
There is also another flag related to the OFC, a black-red-white horizontal
tricolor with a green tree on white and a gold five-pointed star above it on
red; both charges are centered horizontally and off-set vertically, closer to
the red-white partition line and also to each other. This
source suggests that this is the flag of Oromo Youth League (OYL), the OFC's
youth wing which was founded in 2014.
Tomislav Todorovic, 16 Feb 2018
According to this source, the OYL was established on 25 January 2014.
Esteban Rivera, 16 Feb 2018