OLF Stand on the UN decision on Ogaden

Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is confident that the humanely decision and step taken by the United Nations (UN) to investigate the terror and extermination facing Ogadenian people will encompass all issues that will result in a lasting solution to the region.

The UN decision to send its higher delegates to have first hand information on the barbaric actions of the Ethiopian government, Tegrian Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), against innocent people of Ogaden is applauded and expected from any peace loving group. At the time when TPLF government’s harassment of civilian is continuously exposed by independent media outlets, the intervention of UN is both historically and legally a requirement.

The step taken by UN to send about twenty of its experts from WFP, WHO, UNHCR, UNDP and legal professionals to gather information on the extent of damage on the region by the dictatorial regime of Melles Zenawi will be a big hope for the powerless people of Ogaden. It is also needless to mention that this investigation requires a very high courtesy. The ever increasing protest of Ogaden people and the reaction of different international bodies on the action of Ethiopian government indicate the importance of the issue. Specially, eliminating Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has been used as a pretext by TPLF (Woyyane) soldiers to kill and torture civilians.

Generally the investigation of UN delegates should focus on the act of Ethiopian government that target to abate the economic and social infrastructure of the Ogaden people so that they will live with horror and fear. To materialize this Melles Zenawi government is using its military force to indiscriminately killing villagers; destroying their settlement; burning families with their house; group raping of girls and women; forcefully resettling people to control their movement; denying access to transportation and communication; indiscriminately imprisoning, torturing and harassing the people without any guilt are the main complaints presented by the Ogaden people.

At the moment the TPLF government is running here and there to defend its barbaric deed. No wonder if dictatorial government like TPLF that does not have any feeling for human lives would not apologize for its action. This is of course the main reason that UN is convinced to appoint its delegates to investigate the issue.

However, the decision of UN which authorizes the delegates to investigate and report their finding on the ongoing problems of Ogaden people alone will not solve the fundamental problem of the region. At this point OLF would like to inform UN and its delegates that based on the outcome of the investigation it is important to include a remedial action where by Meles Zenawi will be held accountable for the problems.

These is due to the fact that the minority TPLF government has been doing similar inhuman actions mentioned above on the people of Oromo, Sidama, Amhara, Gambella, Southern Nations, Affar and Tigray. This is evident through continual protest of all peoples living both in Ethiopia and abroad. Therefore, a thorough investigation of such similar problems will help to find a fundamental solution for the whole people in the region. For example similar to Ogaden People the government cadres are carrying out extrajudicial killing, torture, disappearance, and imprisonment on Oromo people with a pretext of destroying OLF.

As a result, it is OLF’s stand that the decision of UN to study the situation of Ogaden people should be extended to investigate those problems facing all people living in Ethiopia and neighboring regions. The dictatorial government of Melles Zenawi is legally and historically held responsible for all instability of the region. Without a complete and full scale investigation, information from only one region will not help to bring a lasting solution and this will later indicate a weakness in the UN approach to the problems.


Oromo Libration Front
August 30, 2007