Lencoo Baati and Hassan Hussein Nationalists or Clan Politicians?

Badhaaso Tola and Mohammad Adam


With a great pain we are writing this piece because the fabric of Oromo society is attacked by clan politicians, confused Oromos, and the agents of Tigres. Believing that Leenco Baati and Hassan Hussen were Oromo nationalists who could build bridges between the OLF and the Oromo Diaspora, we expected a lot of contributions from them in promoting Oromo nationalism.

We also thought that they would not compromise Oromo nationalism and confuse it with clan or other politics. So we personally did not oppose when they easily climbed the OLF leadership without experience and without demonstrating their commitment to the Oromo national struggle. We wrongly believed that this would diversify the OLF leadership. Since we are ordinary persons, nobody would hold us accountable for our wrong judgment. The same cannot be true for those who have been leading the OLF, particularly its top dog.


The chairman of the OLF, Dawud Ibssa and his inner circle should have known better. He should have studied these individuals and their collaborators such as the Wayane general, Kamal Galchu, before appointing them in the highest positions in the OLF. The OLF has been built with the blood and bones of Oromo heroes and heroines and should not be entrusted with individuals who did not yet demonstrate their commitment to defend the OLF and the Oromo cause.

For these individuals, the OLF is an opposition political organization that must be used for self-promotion through any means including clan politics. Such selfish individuals did not want to share accountability when the OLF leadership faced political crisis and challenge. Whenever there were successes such individuals were ready to take credit, and whenever there were failures they ran to resign from their positions rather than being accountable for their lack of performance.


Furthermore, they accused the OLF for marginalizing them because of their clan identity. It is amazing to hear that Leenco and Hassan have complained that the Arssi Oromos are marginalized, when both of them have voluntarily stepped down from their highest positions in the OLF leadership. It is also amazing that these two individuals cannot demonstrate what they have produced for the OLF except organizing a clan organization within the OLF.


This clan organization claims to fire the OLF leadership from Minneapolis and to successfully takeover the leadership of this organization. Learning from Amhara and Tigres, they have a few Abba Dulas, Butukan Midheksasis to hide their clan politics. Those few elements who have problems with the OLF leadership express their willingness to side with this group and hurt the Oromo national struggle. There are several agents of Tigres in this conspiratorial group, the Meles government has spent several millions of dollars through its embassies.

When Leenco and Hassen were members of the top leadership of the OLF, they were Oromos and when they left their positions they were victimized Arssis. They have used clan politics to hide their incompetence in fulfilling their leadership obligations and they have been hiding under Oromo nationalism to avoid facing responsibility. As they declared in the Ethiopian Review, these two individuals organized their clan organization to join Ethiopian politics by using the brand name, OLF. They have misused and victimized Arssi Oromos who have suffered under Amhara-Tigre colonialism like other Oromos.


They have mobilized innocent individuals who cannot see beyond clan because of the lack of understanding, former Derg cadres and OPDO agents in communities and cyber-spaces such as paltalk to attack the OLF leadership and Oromos from other areas and to spread the poison of clan politics to turn Oromos against one another. It is disgusting that they have done all these things under the name of Oromo nationalism.


This summer in front of our eyes Leenco Baati and Hassan Hussen declared in Minnesota, MN that they fired the legitimate OLF leadership through a mob action and would lead the Oromo national movement by remote control. They declared that they appointed former Meles general, Kamal Galchu, who fought against the OLF for almost two decades and promoted to this position by killing Oromo nationalists. Kamal was appreciated to run away from the Ethiopian government and to join the OLF. But he did not yet shoot one bullet to promote the Oromo struggle. Before trying to lead the Oromo national movement, he should fight for the Oromo people and prove that he can be an Oromo general.


Promoting Kamal Galchu and attacking those who have given all their lives for the Oromo cause can only be done under clan politics. Clan politics has brought together members of OPDOs and other organizations in attacking the non-Arssi OLF leadership. The mob group in Minnesota claimed that they contributed more than 200,000 dollars this summer. Whey did not this group contribute this much money when they were part of the OLF? Wasn't the OLF their organization then? Was it because their clan men controlled the OLF leadership now, as they claimed, they had to contribute a lot of money? Or Did the TPLF agents' contribute some money to attack the OLF within the organization.


We wonder what would Oromo heroes such as Magarsa Bari, Goota Bobas, Gutama Hawas, Adam Jillo, and Nadhi Gamada say if they were alive. Leenco Baati and Hassan Hussen should have carried on the torch of these heroes rather than using clan politics to fulfill their delusionary dreams. Opportunists, former Derg cadres and OPDOs who did not yet prove themselves through bitter struggle that they are Oromo nationalists cannot be leaders of the Oromo national movement.


However, Dawud is responsible for appointing Kamal in the Oromo Liberation Army; this is morally devastating for OLF commanders such as Furgas Qajeela, Abdata Basire, and Legesee Wagi. How can a person in his right mind put Kamal in such position? How could under the leadership Dawud Ibssa, Leenco and Hassan organize a clan organization within the OLF? Or did not he know the difference between clan politics and Oromo nationalism? Did Dawud make such decisions individually or did he consult experienced Oromo politicians and intellectuals on such matters? Does he lead the OLF individually? If the answers to all these questions are yes, he has created favorable conditions for opportunist infiltrators, enemy agents, and clan politicians.
The OLF is the heart and brain of the Oromo national struggle and it cannot be left to an individual or individuals who cannot understand the complexity of the Oromo national movement. The OLF can be only victories by overcoming leadership arrogance and by embracing humility and an Oromo democratic ethos and by positively managing clan relationships, regional and religious diversity. Lennco Baati, Hassan Hussen and other Oromo leaders should be exposed and criticized for engaging in clan or regional politics at the cost of Oromo nationalism.

A dangerous political trend has emerged in the OLF, and we need to take actions to divert them. One of these trends is that almost all Arssi Oromos, whether they are OLF members or not, have joined and supported the clannish political trend by attacking the non-Arssi OLF leadership. All of them have criticized the non-Arssi OLF leadership while exonerating the OLF leadership of Arssi origin, namely Leenco, Hassan and those who live in exile. For almost two decades, Leenco Baaati and Hassan Hussen were the shakers and movers in the OLF leadership. They should be evaluated for their achievements and failures like other Oromo leaders from other areas. It is morally, ethically and politically wrong that they hide under clan politics because of the number of the Arssi Oromo Diaspora who are in and out of the OLF and who support their wrong actions of these individuals.


We appreciate the involvement of the large numbers of Arssi Oromos in the OLF when the majority of other Oromos are passive or hiding in churches/mosques. In order to play a leading positive role in the Diaspora, the Arssi Oromos should not attack other Oromo leaders while defending Leenco, Hassan and others who wish to emerge as new leaders without being evaluated for their tragic leadership failures and for inciting clan politics that might destroy the future of Oromo society if it is not stopped immediately.


All Oromos from all regions must learn from this Diaspora political debacle. If all Oromos from all Oromo clans, branches and regions do not participate in the Oromo national struggle to balance power of forces, opportunist and reactionary Oromos in the movement can hijack the Oromo national struggle for opportunistic reasons. We support the idea of evaluating the progress of the Oromo movement and the contributions of all Oromos to the movement to critically identify the strengths and weaknesses of the leadership and Oromo society. There is an urgency now to clearly know the differences between Oromo nationalism on one hand and clan/regional/religious politics on the other in the Oromo national struggle. If we want to destroy our future as a society we mix all of fracture identities with Oromo nationalism.

Victory to the Oromo People! Oromia Shall be Free! Down with Ethiopia and its supporters!