SILENCE IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICE WILL ONLY DIVIDE, NOT UNITE ETHIOPIA!

oromo-pic-ingMay 4, 2014 (OromoTV) — The recent unrest and ongoing slaughter of innocent University #OromoStudents by Ethiopian Government forces has once again revealed Ethiopia’s deep seeded hatred for Oromo’s. Although, the vicious attack on Oromo’s and #OromoProtests is nothing new and perhaps can be traced back to more than a century. The faces, ethnicities, and regimes change from Menelik to Meles and beyond, however, the untold atrocities against Oromo’s and #OromoProtests continue. We have been forcefully silenced for far too long. Thanks to our enemies we have witnessed the arms and breasts of our sisters, aunts and mothers get cutoff by inhumane government forces. Not to mention our brothers, uncles, and fathers get arrested, languish in despicable prisons, vanish without trace, and ultimately lose their lives at the hands of government forces.
These systemic atrocities against Oromo’s are only the tip of the iceberg. It would take historians years to list all the heinous crimes that Oromo’s have suffered at the hands of various governmental regimes. However, what has remained true then and still continues to this day is the fact that others such as the handful extremist Amhara’s have perpetrated these crimes in the past and in recent times while refusing to identify with Oromo’s especially innocent University students as they suffer throughout Ethiopia.
Recent history has shown the lengths the Ethiopian government or specifically Tigray’s will go to retain power. In 2005 when the government violently crackdown on Amhara’s and supporters of pseudo-political groups such as Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), it was Oromo students from Ambo and surrounding area who lent their support and staged protests. However, this week when the government once again ensued its continued assault against #OromoProtests, Amhara’s and others appear to show little to no support let alone protesting in unison.
What makes all this ironic is Amhara’s and other groups throughout Ethiopia and the Diaspora constantly preach a single and united Ethiopia. However, when a single group is systemically targeted and being slaughtered by government forces they remain silent. As Dr. King once said, “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” During this challenging time for Oromo’s all across the globe, the  majority of non-Oromo’s have chosen to conveniently remain silent and aloof to the ongoing slaughter of innocent University students. Their silence clearly speaks volumes, proving once again if they are not direct recipients of government brutality, they have no need or desire to speak up and voice their opinion against atrocious government forces. In fact even the pseudo-media Ethiopian Satellite Television Service (ESAT) that clearly claims it is, “a nonpartisan, independent media outlet established primarily to promote free press, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Ethiopia” has remained detached from the current and ongoing suffering of Oromo’s across Ethiopia. Clearly, this pseudo-media is not only against free press, democracy, and respect for human rights as it discriminately ignores the suffering of Oromo’s, it perpetuates the age old bias of extremist Amhara’s toward Oromo’s. After all, ESAT the well known media arm of Amhara’s and extremist Amhara’s in general preach unity, perhaps a united Ethiopia by their standard means the death and disappearance of all groups including Oromo’s. This sort of ill advised, despicable, and caveman mentality is not only abhorrent, but lacks basic human compassion for the historically oppressed Oromo’s. Therefore, a hallow unanimity by extremist Amhara’s would lead this country into chaos. In fact absolute uniformity is not even historically unrealistic, but repressive at worst for Oromo’s in general.
So how can they claim to be Ethiopian irrelevant of their Ahmara background and remain neutral to the heartbreaking sufferings of fellow Ethiopians especially students full of potential whose life is cut short for the outrageous crime of peacefully protesting against the current Addis Ababa partition plan. It is beyond one’s imagination that a fellow Ethiopian can be so heartless as to not identify with innocent Oromo Students being slaughtered. As Dr. King once said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Therefore, the silence of Amhara’s as well any and all Ethiopians speaks volumes in terms of how much they care for the unity of Ethiopia. By remaining silent on the ongoing slaughter of Oromo’s they continue to show their support for the destruction of the Oromo state and ultimately the demise of all Oromo’s. However, what they have failed to realize is Oromo’s who constitute the largest majority with over 40 million people and the fourth largest language in all of Africa will continue to fight for their rightful self or mutual governance at all costs with or without other groups. And, irrelevant of extremist Amhara governments with previous dark and heinous history toward and the failed attempt of destructing Oromo’s including the suppression of the Oromo language as well as the current Tigray controlled government’s efforts to demise Oromo’s and Oromia will no longer work. The young and highly educated Oromo population all over the globe will work faithfully to amass support for and the eventual freedom of Oromo’s. Although, Amhara’s and subsequently Tigray’s have chosen to continuously stand on the wrong side of history time and time again, the Oromo’s strong and unbreakable determination to bring democratic rule will never be shattered!!!
Source: OromoTV