Statement of the Union of Oromo Students in Germany (UOSG)

Request for assistances to protect Oromo refugees in Somalia -

The UOSG is founded in 1975 as one of Oromo mass organizations in exile to support the struggle of Oromo people for justice, peace, freedom, democracy, and stability. The struggle of the Oromo people has its root in its resistance to political dominations and economic exploitations by successive regimes in Ethiopia: it is not directed against any people but against the system of oppression. Since its foundation the UOSG has been committed to bring the voices of Oromo people to the attention of the international communities and the democratic governments mainly via the following major activities: organizing peaceful demonstrations, conducting annual seminars, writing appeal letters, publishing annual bulletin, etc. Unfortunately the genuine voice of Oromo people has been silenced by rules of gun under successive tyrannical governances of Ethiopia for more than a century. The UOSG is one of the Oromo people’s mass organizations that have been evolved out of the suppressed voices of the Oromo people.
The UOSG respectfully request for the assistances of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFGS) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in particular and the international communities in general to protect the help less and innocent Oromo refugees in Somalia who are without voices. The Oromo refugee in Somalia in particular and anywhere else in Africa and across the globe in general have been managed under difficult conditions to escape from the widespread human rights violations practices of the Ethiopian government lead by the Tigray People Liberation Front /Marxist Leninist League of Tigray (TPLF/MLLT) that known by its fake name Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

The unpopular government of Prime Minster Meles Zenawi lead by his political front (party), the TPLF/MLLT, has been not committed to minimize human rights violations perpetrated by its security forces against the innocent Oromo civilians across Oromia federal state since 1992. This wide spread human rights violations across Oromia is unhidden facts from the eyes of the international communities, international financial institutes, and developed countries who are reluctant to assess their polices of assisting the tribal political monopoly of the dictator Prime Minster who is not different from his predecessors in formulating and implementing policies that marginalize the Oromo people from meaningful political, social, and economic empowerments. The TPLF/MLLT regime has been systematically manipulating its monopoly of tribal military and political powers to silence the voices of Oromo people. The regime ill political attitude towards the Oromo people and majority of Ethiopian peoples is very dangerous for the stability and positive coexistences of highly diversified peoples of Ethiopia.

The TPLF/MLLT regime is manipulating its full control of military and police forces, security offices, and ministry of justices in order to routinely accomplish harassment, torture, disappearance, and extra judicial killings of innocent civilians across Oromia federal state and major parts of Ethiopia to guard its brutal governance. Seasonal and annual Human Rights Violations records in Ethiopia that have been released in the forms of statements, appeal letters, or reports by credible international human rights defenders (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Department of State, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Society for Threatened Peoples, etc) and local human rights groups (Oromia Support Group, Ethiopian Human Rights Council or League, Anuak Justice Council, Sidama Concern, Oromia Human Rights and Relief Organization, Ogaden humanitarian Association etc) are the best indicators of the increased degrees of human rights violations practices of the regime’s security apparatus.

The TPLF/MLLT security apparatus have been intensified all kinds of repressions against all segments of the Oromo society in fashion of cold war since 1992. This is the major factor that have been driven tens of thousands of Oromo people from their home land (Oromia) and forced them to seek refugee in the neighboring countries where they hope to live under protection provided to them based on Article 33 of the Convention of the Status of Refugees, 1951. However Oromo refugees residing in Djibouti, Somalia, the Sudan, South Africa, and Yemen have been victims of cross border activities of the security forces of Ethiopian regime that operate underground through its diplomatic institutes. In December, 2005 the security agent of the regime has killed 25 Oromo refugees residing under the protectorate of Kenyan government and the UNHCR. This was not the only incident, however the killings, kidnappings, and harassments of defense less Oromo refugees in countries neighboring Ethiopia by the security forces of the TPLF/MLLT regime have been going on for the past 15 years and it will continue for unknown periods of time.

Currently the fate of Oromo refugees in Somalia is not an isolated affair. Somalia is home of hundreds of thousands of Oromo refugees who escaped the atrocities of successive Ethiopian regimes since the half of the 20th century. The UOSG has learned from different media sources that unknown numbers of Oromo refugees across Somalia have been harassed and detained either by the solders of the TFGS or by the armies of the TPLF/MLLT regime. The UOSG worried that the harassments, imprisonments, torturing, disappearance, or killings of defense less innocent Oromo refugees across Somalia since January 2007 could be complicated by the joint operations carried out by the TFGS and the TPLF/MLLT regime to restore peace and stability in Somalia. However the Ethiopian government lead by the TPLF/MLLT has no respect for International Human Rights Covenants and Treaties it ratified: and it is not concerned about rules of law and basic human rights protection. Thus Oromo refugees across Somalia are exposed to either disappearance or extra judicial killing practices of the TPLF/MLLT security forces if the TFGS will be reluctant to give necessary protection to Oromo refugees in Somalia according to international legal norms. Either illegal repatriation of Oromo refugees from Somalia to Ethiopia or the harassment and detentions of Oromo refugee in Somalia by the TPLF/MLLT armies are the grave violations of international laws.

Therefore, the UOSG kindly appeal to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, the UNHCR, the international communities, and the governments of developed countries:
1. To assist the immediate release of Oromo refugees detained across Somalia;
2. To assist in establishment of an independent Human rights committee that investigates cross border human rights violations perpetrated by the TPLF/MLLT security agents against Oromo refugees in Somalia;
3. To assist in implementation of special strategies to protect Oromo refugee in Somalia from ill treatments perpetrated by the TPLF/MLLT security agents that could be shadowed by complex conflicts in Somalia in particular and in the Horn of African sub region in general.
With great regards,

Executive committee of the Union of Oromo Students in Germany
January 19, 2007

The Ethiopian Regime is Unleashing State Sponsored Terror On Oromo Refugees in Somalia

Oromo Liberation Front - The Tigrean Liberation Front (TPLF) regime of Ethiopia is unleashing its malignant instinct of death and destructive horror on Oromo refugees in Somalia. It is committing a planned and systematic genocide on the Oromo people by mislabeling Oromo’s struggle for self-determination and democracy as terrorism. The truth of the matter is it is the TPLF- led tyrannical Ethiopian regime that is unleashing state sponsored-terror against our people.
Recent reports by human rights groups and governments are bearing witness that there are grave violations of human rights of the Oromo people by the TPLF regime. These include extra-judicial killings, disappearances, illegal arrests, torture, gang rape and detention for a long period without charge or trial. Disappearances are systematically, incessantly and relentlessly committed against the Oromo people.

As a result of these gross human rights violations and to escape state-sponsored terror, thousands of Oromos have fled and are fleeing their homeland. In countries where they sought refuge, many have been killed or kidnapped by murder-squads organized by the Ethiopia regime in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and South Africa. Others have been subjected to forced repatriation; particularly form Djibouti and the Sudan.

In its recent unlawful invasion of Somalia, the Ethiopian regime has opened another terror front on the Oromo people. It appears now that the main purpose of invading Somalia was to achieve and maintain its twin objectives, which are the genocidal and systematic terror against Oromo refugees in Somalia and the creation of the TPLF protectorate of Somalia.

Oromo refugees have come to Somalia starting from late 1960s and continued to the present. Even though the security situation in Somalia for the last 16 years has been extremely perilous, Oromo refugees continue to come to Somalia for lack of alternatives. Many have attempted to crossover to Yemen and in the process hundreds have perished in open seas.

According to eyewitnesses, the Ethiopian army and security forces, as soon as they entered the cities, towns and villages, made their sole objective the hunting-down of Oromo refugees to arrest, torture, and kill by lynching them for no apparent reasons except for being Oromo. In addition, credible evidences and eyewitness accounts indicate that members of the Somalia militia are abducting Oromo refugees and handing them over to Ethiopia security forces for a bounty. These actions have continued unabated.

It is a sad reality that the international community has failed to take any meaningful action to discharge its international duty and moral obligation relevant the crimes of the TPLF regime against the Oromo people. It is believed that the respect and promotion of fundamental human rights and freedoms recognized by the "international bills of rights" is the legal duty and moral obligation of the international community. It is incumbent upon the UN and Member States to intervene and stop these acts of genocide by the criminal Ethiopian regime against innocent Oromo refugees in Somalia. Particularly, Somalia as a State Party to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951, has obligation to accord the Oromo refugees in Somalia “the most favorable treatment” and to refrain from “expelling or retuning” the Oromo refugees to Ethiopia, where their life and freedom will be in jeopardy.

It should be known that, these acts of genocide the Ethiopian regime is perpetrating against the Oromo refugees in Somalia and the Oromo people at large is bound to lead to more political instability and humanitarian tragedy in the Horn of Africa. It is the utmost necessity for the international community to realize the danger that the Oromos as a people are facing under the tyrannical government of Ethiopia led by the Tigrean ethnic minority.

The Oromo Liberation Front, therefore appeals to:
The international community, particularly those governments financing and advising the Ethiopian regime in its invasion of Somalia, to discharge their international duty and urge the TPLF regime immediately stop the acts of genocide against the Oromo refugees in Somalia;
The United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees to take immediate actions to ensure the protection of the Oromo refugees in Somalia;
The UN to immediately conduct investigation of the crime of genocide being committed against the Oromo refugees in Somalia;
Human rights organizations to expose the crime the TPLF regime is committing against the Oromo refugees in Somalia;
The Somali people to reject the sinister divide and rule policy of the TPLF invaders and continue the brotherly and customary treatment and protection of the Oromo refugees who sought sanctuary in your country.

Victory to the Oromo People!
Oromo Liberation Front

January 17, 2007

The Harassment of Oromo Intellectuals by TPLF Government Continued

The harassment of Oromo intellectuals by TPLF government has continued in Oromia. Accordingly, Mrs. Yeshi Dhibissa who is an Oromo intellectual has been arrested and jailed in Chiro town of West Hararghe zone. She was arrested last week and has been in jail for the last ten days in Chiro town.

Mrs. Yeshi used to work for West Haraghe zone agriculture office at different capacity including senior positions. Before the arrest she was employed by an NGO called Mercy Corps and serving the organization as an expert. Her children appealed for urged for the release of their mother. For that they appealed to all human right protection organizations like RED CROSS and the like. Mrs. Yeshi's children are not in position to continue their education and no body is caring for them at the moment. Friends are very much worried for the fate of the children if their mother is kept in the jail.

Targeting Oromo citizens in Somalia is an act of ethnic cleansing

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 -

Targeting Oromo citizens in Somalia is an act of ethnic cleansing -

“Your [Transitional Government of Somalia’s] responsibility is not to kill us but to help us since we are under your refuge.”
Mohamud Sheik Hassan, chairman of the Oromo refugees in Somalia.

On December 25, 2006 the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF)-led Ethiopian regime launched a military campaign in neighboring Somalia, alleging that its “sovereignty” was threatened by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Having driven out the UIC from Mogadishu, the TPLF forces in collaboration with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, has now shifted its mission towards fulfilling its main agenda of ethnic cleansing.

The International Oromo Youth Association (IOYA) is deeply dismayed by the series of harassment, illegal detention, kidnapping, lynching, and cold-blooded murder of Oromo refugees in Somalia by the Ethiopian and Somalia TFG joint military forces.

The Oromo people, the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, have been deprived of their basic human rights under successive Ethiopian regimes. In spite of their contribution to the country’s socio-economic development, the Oromo people have been marginalized from participating in the social, economic, and political decision-making process. Because of their continued demand for self-determination, freedom, justice and equality, Oromos have become major targets for the authoritarian Ethiopian government. Just like its predecessors, the current TPLF minority regime led by Meles Zenawi has committed endless acts of state-sponsored terrorism against Oromo civilians, professionals, students and political dissidents.

Ethiopia and Somalia fought two border wars, in 1964 and 1977. During these two wars, Oromo’s were caught in the middle of the war waged by two dictators: Ziad Barre of Somalia and Mengistu Hailemariam of Ethiopia. Oromos comprise a significant proportion of Ethiopia’s conscripts soldiers that fought during the Ethio-Somali wars. Due to the geographical proximity of Oromia and Somalia, the 1977 war caused a humanitarian crisis including death of civilians, internal displacement and immigration to neighboring countries. Thousands of Oromos fled to Kenya and Somalia and many lost their lives on the way and thousands never returned to their homeland.

Today, Somalia is home for over a quarter of million Oromo refugees who fled their country due to persecution and forced displacement by successive Ethiopian governments. Many have lived and raised families in Somalia for as long as three decades

Over the last decade TPLF has been meddling in Somali internal affairs to unleash its crime against Oromo refugees. Oromo refugees in Somalia suspected of being members and sympathizers of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) have been kidnapped or killed by TPLF militia and its security forces. For instance, a prominent Oromo elder Mullis Abbaa Gadaa was murdered in Somalia in 2000. The regime which considers Somali as its own province has been engaged in instigating intern clan conflict among Somalis. It has funded and organized criminal warlords that deprived the people of Somalia peace and stability. In collaboration with his puppet warlords Zenawi was able to make life miserable for Oromo refugees in Somalia.

Since the Ethiopian-backed TFG controlled the capital of Somalia, the allied forces are engaged in a house-to-house hunt for Oromo nationals in Mogadishu and its environs. We are deeply saddened by the news of increasing cold-blooded murders of unaccounted number of Oromos in Somalia, illegal detention of over 44 people and kidnapping of many others. In the past week alone, the body of an Oromo man killed by the allied Ethiopia- TFG militia was found dumped in the street of Mogadishu and another young Oromo in Jowar was also murdered by lynching.

As reports from the area clearly indicate, the victims have no wrongdoing other than being born Oromo, for which they had previously fled their home country. Over the last decade and a half, similar incidents are taking place where Oromo nationals in various refugee camps of neighboring countries are facing mass deportation, imprisonment and torture.

In response to this, IOYA hereby calls upon all freedom loving individuals, international communities, human rights groups and East African countries to save our brothers and sisters from inhumane treatment in the hands of TPLF soldiers and their TFG allies in refugee camps.

We believe that international organizations and the international community as a whole have a moral responsibility to stop these acts of ethnic cleansing that is directed at the Oromo people. A failure to act upon such critical issue would be a gross oversight by the international community.

The Ethiopian authority of raiding Oromo refuges in Somalia is in direct defiance of international agreements that protect the right of the refuges. We would also like to appeal to the Somali people to stop handing over Oromo nationals to TPLF thugs, since these Oromo men and women have lived in Somalia for many years in harmony with Somalis. It should also be noted that such acts of ethnic profiling would only endanger our long history of coexistence.

It was very evident from the beginning of the recent war between Ethiopia and Somalia, that the Ethiopian government’s allegation that opposition parties from the Oromo are fighting alongside the Islamic militias was a pretext for its ethnic cleansing scheme.
These acts expose the primary mission of the minority-led Ethiopia’s troop in Somalia-which is to broaden its persecution of Oromo nationals throughout the horn of Africa.

We condemn in the strongest of terms this barbaric and inhumane targeting of innocent Oromo nationals in Somalia by the TFG and its Ethiopian ally.



We therefore appeal to the Ethiopian-backed TFG of Somalia, the U.S government, the UNHCR and Human Rights organization to take the following action:

We urge the TFG to honor its obligation under international laws by providing protection to Oromo refugees under its administration and to release all Oromo prisoners without any preconditions.
We urge the United States, which is backing Ethiopia and TFG militias, and UNHCR to pressure the TFG to promptly initiate an independent investigation of the attacks and help bring those responsible to justice as well as to intervene and secure the release of all detainees.
We call on the United States and the UNHCR and other human right organizations to take appropriate actions to stop the targeting of Oromo nationals in Somalia by the Ethiopian government and TFG militias.
We call on all Somalis to raise their voice, regarding this unjust move on the part of the Somali government and to show their solidarity with the Oromo nationals who have lived in their midst.
We also call upon peace-loving people and States of the Horn of Africa region and the world to play a positive role in alleviating the suffering of the Oromo people in Somalia and the Horn region at large.


Justice for Oromo people, Justice for All!!

International Oromo Youth Association

The detention, displacement and lynching of Oromo Refugees in Somalia

Waldaa Gargaarsa Oromoo (WGO)/Oromo Relief Association (ORA)


Ref: 001-xal-wgo-2007 /Date: January 13, 2007 -

The detention, displacement and lynching of Oromo refugees in Somalia

Over the last four decades thousands of Oromos who fled from successive repressive regimes in Ethiopia have sought refugee in Somalia. Some of them have settled successfully among the Somali population and many others continue to live in refugee camps. After the collapse of the central Somali state and the subsequent withdrawal of the diplomatic community and UN agencies, the security and wellbeing of these refugees as well as the Somali people have been in grave danger. Many were killed, robbed and displaced by armed groups. Several were caught in the crossfire and lost their lives and livelihood.

Recent changes under TPLF-occupied Somalia have aggravated the already abysmal situation of these refugees. The Tigrean-led minority government of Ethiopia is persecuting these same refugees who had fled from the gruesome atrocities committed under its administration. Refugees have become target of a witch-hunt by the invading Ethiopian army as well as some warlords. Last week a young Oromo refugee was lynched in Jowhar by gangs of soldiers affiliated with the warlord Mohamed Dheere. To make matters worse, over 40 Oromo refugees have been detained, a few in Puntland, and delivered to the occupying TPLF troops.

The Oromo Relief Association (ORA) is extremely troubled by these sad incidents and concerned about the plight of the many refugees in Somalia. While condemning these barbaric and short-sighted actions, we extend our gratitude to the brotherly people of Somalia for their courage in protecting these helpless refugees and urge the international community to take immediate action to save their lives. Likewise, we urge the TFG and Puntland authorties to guaruantee respect for the rights of refugees.


Oromo Relief Association




P.O.Box 73798 Washington, DC 20056 Tel/Fax 202 232-3337 E-mail ORA_wgo@yahoo.com

Somalia: Allied forces snatch weapons as hunting down Oromo people continues

January 14, 2007 - Mohamed Abdi Farah (SomaliNet) Security forces in Somalia capital Mogadishu along with the Ethiopian troops began Saturday house-to-house searching operation to seize all weapons from the suspected areas in the city. Yesterday morning the interim government troops backed by the Ethiopian forces searched several houses in Bulo-Hubey county of Wadir district in southwest of Mogadishu where they confiscated small arms. The Ethiopians, who have been conducting hunting down the Oromo nationals, arrested four more men from Bulo-Hubey area and taken to unknown location in the capital. Mohamud Sheik Hassan, the chairman of the Oromo refugees in Somalia condemned the action in which the Ethiopian forces kidnapped the Oromo men as beyond humanity. “I am asserting that the arrested Oromo men were innocents and refugees in Somalia for long a time. They were not involved in criminal action so it is surprise that the Ethiopians together with Somalia forces are hunting down the name of Oromo people,” said Sheik Hassan. “I see no reason to arrest them in anyway they are refugees,” Hassan has cast a strong criticism on the Somalia people for ignoring the rights of the Oromo people in their country. “I am blaming the Somali people on that they are watching us helplessly because we Oromo people have rights in this country since we lived here for more than thirty years and came in Somalia through legal way... now are the Somali pleasant that we are hunted as Oromo? That is inhumanity and shame on Somalis,” he said angrily. “We deserve to be protected since we have been refugees in Somalia for a long time did nothing wrong,” Sheik Hassan, the Oromo refugees chairman in Somalia who is in Mogadishu, appealed to the transitional federal government to stop targeting the Oromo people. “Your responsibility is not to kill us but to help us since we are under you refuge,” he said. “The name of Oroma should not be contraband inside Somalia. If this continues it would have impact on the Somalis in Oromia in Ethiopia,” He also urged the international community to help the Oromo refugees in Somalia out of the problem. “I particularly ask the Oromo communities in the world to give hand to their people suffering in Somalia,” Last week, a man of Oromo national has been killed and 16 others were arrested by the allied forces of Somalia and Ethiopia in Jowhar city some 90km north of the capital. At least 40 Oromo men are now being held in Mogadishu by the Ethiopian forces, Hassan said. Elsewhere in the capital a bomb explosion happened overnight in front of Lafa-weyn Hotel in north of the capital when unknown gunmen attacked the hotel and then the government forces repelled them. No casualty has been reported there. The government officials said the security have arrested several suspect men for the latest attack and will be punished if they are convicted on the guilty.