The entire executive committee of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has been relieved of its duties and replaced with a provisional executive council today.
Majority of the OLF national council members has passed a vote of “No Confidence” on the executive committee in order take the organization out of the current paralysis and stagnation due to an irreconcilable disagreement inside the executive committee.
The main source of the disagreement revolved around the vision and performance of the organization. The new OLF leadership is said to be committed to advancing the interest of Oromos, as well as all Ethiopians.
The new leadership will focus on intensifying the armed struggle against the Meles regime and playing a key role in unifying and democratizing Ethiopia in collaboration with other opposition forces, according to Ethiopian Review sources.
Leaders of Ginbot 7 Movement and other forces have been briefed of this development by the new OLF leadership.
There had been an ongoing and heated internal debate inside the OLF leadership for quite a while over strategy and the overall political platform of the organization, leading to today’s revolutionary change.
Key leaders of the change that is taking place inside OLF include Dima Nego, founding member and first chairman; General Kemal Gelchu, chairman of the OLF forces high command; Ahmed Hussein, founding member and former Minister of Foreign Trade; Lencho Letta, former deputy secretary general of OLF; General Hailu Gonfa, head of the OLF army’s training and deployment; Lencho Bati, former OLF spokesperson; Hassan Hussein, head of foreign relations; and Ibrahim Mume, coordinator of OLF supporters and members in the Diaspora.
Despite its military and political strength, OLF had been unable to wage a consistent and forceful campaign against the regime of Tigrean People Liberation Front (Woyanne). Oromos are currently one of the most persecuted peoples in Ethiopia. The overwhelming majority of prisons in Ethiopia are filled by Oromos who are suspected of supporting OLF. Most Ethiopian refugees in Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Yemen and other countries are Oromos. And yet, OLF has been unable to protect Oromos from all these atrocities even though it has a professional army, and an experienced political leadership.
The new OLF leadership strives to change that and work to end the Woyanne brutal regime in collaboration with all opposition forces, according to ER sources close to the OLF.
64 thoughts on “BREAKING NEWS: Shake up in the OLF leadership”
It is about time!
Unity is the most trouncing weapon that the Meless regime cannot resist any more. So far Woyane was able to sustain its reign of terror not because TPLF is strong but because we are weak and divided.
The leaders and supporters of CUD were encountered with despicable atrocities and harassment because they came united and UNITY was their language of communication. Even today the nonsensical rigmarole of getting registration certificate for UDJ has its origins to the founders’ adherence to national unity and tolerance. When we stand together Woyanes fall apart…..
This is good news….
Amen to that!
I think I’ve heard agreat things.Now it seems like time is coming for us if we stand for common purpose.Our people, we don’t forget any time ,we have one enemy that is weyane.Once we over come this, I know no one can’t stand before us.So let’s go to fight our common enemy and to give peace,freedom ,true democracy to our people.
eleelelelelelelelel
That it is wonderful news.
good job,go for wards to form an independent democratic institutions putting as a common goal for all Ethiopians and
for united Ethiopia ,we need that all political organization
come and seat to find a common ground and trust each other to end the country’s problems.we know weyane strengths
lies on the weakness of the oppositions.
Woyanne’s doom is inching closer and closer by the day, the EPPF has hit the hapless Woyanne military in the northwest many times in the past week and killed, wounded and captured more than 700 soldiers, killed the Woyanne administrator in the Arafa region named Bechalen, lately the EPPF has been very active and chasing the Woyanne army all over the northeast and more is yet to come. Add to that today the UN security council dissolved the UNMEE and Woyanne is completely exposed to the north, they are scared any day the Eritrean army will come down on them, that will tie up the bulk of the Woyanne army along the border with Eritrea, while that is happening the EPPF, TPDM, the Debub Hizboch front and ONLF will kick Woyanne’s behind mercilessly.
Above all this article is the best news any Ethiopian could hope for, now that the OLF is under a leadership that is going to act the Woyanne regime’s days are trully numbered, when the OLF gets engaged militarily Woyanne have no choice but to retreat to Tigray, there they will be sitting ducks exposed for attack from all fronts, retreating to Tigray will not give them any peace, all the opposition groups in a united front will come after Woyanne to finish them off for good, I am sure at that time Melles and his cohorts will take all the money they stole from the people of Ethiopia and run away but it is not going to be that easy, they don’t know it but they are surrounded and there will be now way out.
Let us do not waste our time and make longer the suffer of our people, let us unite and make a differnce, try to open our eyes by seeing how unity is the only source for sucess in politics and as the same time economically.
Eleleleleleleleleleleleelelle!
It’s indeed amenable. Bravo to the new leadership!!!!
go, go, go and keep going!
May the lord help us to emancipate our blessed mather land
from the dragon and uncontroled beasts of this 21 first century,meles zenawi of tigray.
Bravo OLF. You can liberate the entire Ethiopians as long as you accommodate a coordinating strugle of all the opposition groups for the common goal of all ethiopians. And you will succeed.
Unity is power!
Amazingly, the Weyane Tigrai was able to galvanize , well, let’s say the majority of the Ethiopian masses using a skillfully orchestraded of Eritrean invasion. Sadly many Ethiopians fell to that dangerous trap and some still do! The way deal to our enemy, the Weyane, is to creat UNITED FRONT with anyone who is willing to contribute to the demise of Weyane including the devil himself. Let’s stop bickering on nonsense and be serious enough and help our fighting forces and let me take this opportunity to thank our Eritrean cousins for helping us in spite of their limited resources. Go OLF, ONLF, EPPF, TPDM, BENSHANGUL % DEBUB HIZBOTCH for united and democratic Ethiopia. Yes, it will happen! It is already happening folks. No more misery and destruction in our region.
Indeed this is a great newa,
Best whishes for success in creating a united and free democratic Ethiopia.
This is encouraging news though wayyy too late. Then again, unless the new leadership listens to the needs and aspiration of the oromo people, instead of forcing to accept their imaginary ideology, the party will remain as doomed as it was 34 years ago. The oromo people need justice, equality, freedom, and democracy like all the other Ethiopians who are suffering under the brutal regime of Melese Seytanawi. The new leadership ought to work with other Ethiopian democratic and unity parties to get ride of the common enemy-woyane. Further, the new OLF leadership has to reject and apologize for the horrific and barbaric acts of some of its members in early 1990’s.
It is a good news only if the new leadership puts the unity of Ethiopia first and that has to start with a change in their name and aslo in their goal. I am againist the oppression of the Oromos an dothers by Weyanie. However, I hate ‘liberation fronts’, including the one that claims to be fighting for the liberation of my father’s tribe. G7 must not cooperate with any so called ‘liberation fronts’. The OLF is undergoing a major change, but more nis excpected from the new leadership to convince the majority of Ethiopians that they believe in a unified and ONE ETHIOPIA!!!
True Oromos come to end problems of Oromos and all Ethiopians.
big news
This is good move to end the suffer of all the ppl of the horne. Meles the slave of US should be dismantled to save the entire ppl of the region. OLF, now is the time to wake up and smell the coffe of Oromia.
wow good news yes yes unity is very important.
one ethiopia,one people ,one nation,one flag,weyanwech medmessachwe, this is the time,olf plz bertu go go
God bless you all of you the one you did this. now we can put weyanie in grave.
Oromos are far more different among themselves than oromos as a whole are said to be diffrent from the rest of Ethiopians. What is tragic in its movement is that olf leaders made the oromo public exposed to the attack by Meles regime. I hope god is gonna get a leader that will unite people to make a unified Ethiopian nation.
Bring the evil Meles to his knees through a united struggle.
Let us all join hands to foster unity, democracy and prosperity.
Congratulation to the NEW executive.
Good development,
Hopefully the new leadership of OLF will come out of ethnic enclave and think about the country Ethiopia.
We, Ethiopians, understand the suffering of the Oromo peoples. But we all are suffering too.That is why we always call for united struggle. As G7 put in its political programme we need to agree on the existance soverign Ethiopia and the people of Ethiopia is the source of power by means of election.
It is time for G7 to communicate with armed and non armed groups and political parties such as OLF, EPPF, ONLF, EPRP and others and agree on common agenda.
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.” – Dictionary of cultural literacy
” standing ponds attract mosquitos.” – Prophet Didaadoo
Elias
Once again Thank you for keeping us abreast with the situation in the growing pains within OLF leadership. Most importantly I like to applaud your effort in recognizing the importance of the Oromo issue and the legitimate role of the OLF in the future of post Woyane Ethiopia. You indeed brought to the forefront the Oromo issue while other Woyane proxy websites, Ethiomedia in particular, made a deliberate effort not to mention Oromo issues or OLF hoping it will go away.
As an Oromo Ethiopian, I have seen first hand the pain and misery perpetrated by Woyane against the Oromo people. The cahnage in the leadership of the OLF underscores the awakening of the Oromo un the face of the hundreds of thousands of Oromos killed, jailed and displaced during the last 18 years of Woyane tenure.
What a wonderful news!
I have prayed that this day will come one day – finally a glimmer of hope is appearing if the report is true. The archaic, utterly incompetent and pathologically parochial group would have been dealt by other means if true revolutionaries exist in OLF. Dawud and his headless group have done more damage to Oromo than TPLF. Thanks God he is removed! Thousands of capable intellectuals who left OLF because of the Dawud faction might re-join now!
This is the time we were (waiting)praying for it. Bravo OLF keep going,dont back up, there will be no barrier if we unite together and go this way.YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN
Gooooooooooooooooooooooood news!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the new leaders are ready to fight TPLF, that is good and they will enjoy support from the Oromo people and other nations and nationalities.But if they start negotiation with Meles that is crime and suicidal.
As I wish the Unity of Ethiopia, I wish also the togetherness of all Oromo Organizations. The common denominator is the adherance to Ethiopianism. This would give rise to countering the atrocities committed by Woyane and its satelite factions of different ethnic group.
Hence the demise of Woyane will be speeded up.
It is unthinkable to see Great Ethiopia without the participation of Oromos. The history of the past depicts by itself.
This is one step forward to make a change within oneself.
It is a good occasion to assess the past struggle, its successes and weaknesses. The struggle was excluded from other Ethiopian democratic Forces.
The new OLF-executive will hopefully link its struggle with other fighters to liberate Ethiopia from One-ethnic-group-dictatorship.
This millinium is becoming a millinium of shake up in political parties!
What a wonderful news! A day has come when all of Ethiopian ethnicities stand together as a nation and say NO to the oppressive regime. We are very happy to hear the OLF stands not only for the Oromo people but for all Ethiopians. Get rid of the extremist and let the new generation thrive. Next the ONLF must change and stand with other opposition groups to fight injustice. Amlak agrachnene Yetbklne.
The oldest liberation front that has nothing to show so far! OLF is doing disservice to ormoia people by not taking the armed struggle seriously. One of the most dire mistake of the outgoing leadership was its unwise measure trying to distance itself from Eritrean government and its lack of effective cadre schools to motivate fighters to fight for the cause. Instead, OLF leadership wasted so many years philosophizing and having endless meetings. OLF has to really look itself in the mirror and ask itself what have the front done so far? Why are much junior fronts i.e, ONLF, TPDM, EPPF and Gambella fronts militarily performing well and are becoming main threats to weyane vampires. Imagine 36 years and nothing to show? there is all grounds for OLF to wage effective propaganda and military war if its leaders put their acts together. I have faith in general gelchu. He is capable military leader. In fact, there are rumors the few of the outgoing leaders were deliberately hampering the armed struggle by severing relationship with eritrean government and that was very big mistake! Anyways… you could only learn from the past and move on.
OLF has historical responsibility for its people and wage an effective diplomatic, military and political struggle to dismantle the weyane vampires from oromia… they are pilaging the oromo wealth… it is time to work harder.
It is great news for all Ethiopian. I wish it were sooner. We all are humiliated by the current situation.
Thank you OLF. “CHANGE” we can believe in!
wow wow wow good news good job olf
This is good news to hear. However, we better wait and see the final. Am not pessimistic but this needs to be mature before we start to praise OLF. Any ways the beginning sounds good.
It is so bad breaking news for criminal TPLF’s gangs and it is really good news for all ethiopians allover the world , even for all ethiopians who are have been sitting in weyane’s prison for more 17 years. We can free from Foreign agents like melese ,we can build and transform to the prosperious ethiopia to the next generation only when we do stand together as one . Our Unity based onour mutual respect will lead us to our victory against our common enemies.
This news has been heard from Kremilin to the while house. The woyane gangsters are shitting in their pants. This joke is serious and much better than the jokes in the past that it may get an acadamy award.
good news for us bad news for the enemy.
Weyane will purish in short time. United strugle for democracy in Ethiopia and freedom for the broad people of Ethiopia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a welcoming development.Thry should unify their struggle with all anti-Woyanne organizations.
Elias, this message is for you:
Not that it is necessarily “Bad” news, but I think the story may be still developing or possibly premature. Check it out bro.
This is a good news not for Oromos alone but for all of Ethiopia. Having said that, it is my sincere hope that the new leadership will reflect long and hard and consider a serious armed struggle and join the other armed groups to oust the TPLF regime.
OLF lived through the Dergue era, fought side by side with TPLF against the Dergue on the one hand and lately fought against TPLF as a regime on the other. Because of its long experience and the hardship it endured over the years, OLF should know better than many what actually works and should be able to tell a wishful desire from what it takes to unseat a brutally merciless ruler.
There will be a big fight in political arena between the new and the disgraced leaders. As a closest observer of the situation, I belive the new leaders are gaining ground among the Oromo People and I think among other Ethiopians. T
Sooner or later, the TPLF will start throwing his dirty and brutal jabs toward the oromos and other people.
ADDA BILISUMMAA OROMOO
OROMO LIBERATION FRONT
Lakk.: 021/stm/abo/2008
No.:
Statement of OLF Executive Committee
on
Unconstitutional Activities and Conspiracies Against the OLF
The Executive Committee (EC) of the OLF conducted an emergency meeting to deliberate on the current
internal anarchic and anti organizational activities and passed the following decision.
It has been observed that a clique has clandestinely been conducting destructive activities within the
organization for a while. This includes agitations targeting the legitimate leadership of the organization in
contradiction to the latest resolutions of the National Council that met last March, 2008. The effort of the
leadership to handle this matter wisely and patiently has been disregarded. Now that this clique has gone
public in its campaign against the organization by:
1. Conducting illegal public meetings in Nairobi, and Minnesota USA, to that effect;
2. Publicly declaring their split from the organization on electronic media and
3. Declaring, on public radio, that they have substituted the legally elected leadership of the
organization by their own men;
4. Stated that they have, unconstitutionally, revised the political program of the organization.
The EC, as the defense council of the organization, realizing:
a) that this situation poses danger to the safety and security of the organization,
b) the need to avert the looming confusion in the organization and
c) that the members, supporters and the Oromo people at large should be informed about the possible
danger facing the organization and prepare them for the necessary required actions and
d) the need to avert any possible damage to the organization and defend the constitution, rules and
regulations of the organization
has taken the following administrative decision.
The following core leaders of the clique:
1. Hassan Hussein
2. Leeco Baatii
3. Kamal Galchu
4. Abbaa-Nagaa Jaarraa
are excluded from any responsibility or activity of the organization, as of today July 31, 2008, for their
activities against the liberation struggle lead by the OLF, violating the constitution of the organization and
declaring division within the organization. These individuals can not represent the organization in any
capacity nor speak on its behalf. The EC will subsequently take any necessary measure to avert possible
action directed against the activities of the organization by any means.
Victory to the Oromo People.
OLF EC
July 31,2003
جبهة تحرير أ ورومو
رقم تاريخ
P. O. Box 6973 Asmara, Eritrea | Telefax 291 1 150548 | http://www.oromoliberationfront.org
So which side is controlling the OLF website? The same people listed here as leaders of change are the ones banned on the OLF website. Or is the name list here of the ones that are being overturned?
It is a sort of amuzing to read all these excitements and encouragiements as if you all know everything about the new leadeship.
I’m also more fascinated by this statement, ” Leaders of Ginbot 7 Movement and other forces have been briefed of this development by the new OLF leadership.”
Save your emotions for the day of real enlightement folks.