The TPLF are just as barbaric as Graziani. And just like Graziani’s actions at the time helped drive thousands of Ethiopians into the hands of the resistance fighters, the TPLF have forced millions of Oromos young and old into joining Qerroo to intensify the war of liberation against the Woyane fascist forces.

The paradox of this war is not only that it was TPLF- provoked, but it seems they are determined to pursue it despite all the odds stacked against them. There is only one victor in this unfortunate conflict the TPLF has imposed on Oromos and it’s not going to be the incumbent Tigrean political elite. It’s hard to fathom therefore by what reckoning the TPLF murderers are trying to hang on to power hereafter. The kind of naked aggression they committed in Bishoftu is blowing up in their faces already as the insurrection goes into a higher and decisive phase. The TPLF are going up in the smoke of the fire they started in Oromia and spread in the entire country now.

The TPLF’s sole claim to power, purportedly the equality of nations and nationalities, has long been exposed for what it actually is, a code word for divide and rule.  Although, unlike classical European colonialists, the TPLF did not openly espouse” mission civilise” as their motto while pushing southward from their base in Tigrai to control the entire country, it became abundantly clear soon that the underpinning of most of their actions and pronouncements was a chauvinistic fervor that they somehow represented a progressive and advanced political culture vis a vis the dominant ruling elite in the center . Well, whatever progressive thinking that may have driven their agenda initially did not last long as their control of full political power and wealth resulted in arguably the most corrupted political class in Ethiopian history. Nowhere else is Lord Acton’s dictum that” power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”  truer today than in TPLF’s Ethiopia.

If the TPLF staked their claim to power on addressing Ethiopia’s most preeminent political question, the nationalities issue, ironically they managed to remain in power by manipulating the same. They had reached the self-serving conclusion that Oromos and Amharas, as the” eternal arch enemies” cannot  coexist under one roof and to maintain the unity of the nation we need an arbiter in perpetuity. Hence  the TPLF as the only third force at the center of the state that can keep peace and stability in Ethiopia in particular and the Horn of Africa region at large.

For long Western countries had bought into this Woyane narrative giving them generous financial and military assistance as a bulwark against Islamic extremism. But the coming together of minds among the Oromo and Amhara communities in the wake of the Oromo protests….now a full- fledged anti-colonialist struggle….ushered a paradigm shift in the Ethiopian political landscape. This development sent shock waves into the TPLF ruling circles. It will prove to be a political event of far-reaching consequences for the future of Ethiopia and its diverse peoples. The Amhara uprising for land and their political rights that followed soon got a reciprocal support from Oromos and as such of necessity the two are coming even closer as political communities.

The TPLF leaders, those architects of division and destruction, were so shocked and outraged by the coming together of Ethiopia’s largest population groups that they were left  incredulous, so much so that it was attributed to a cardinal policy failure, namely the policy of divide and conquer. The prescribed solution: Tehadiso. The TPLF narrative that the two groups were supposed to remain  forever antagonistic, let alone demonstrate political support for one another, was proven false.  Every Woyane agendum is binned one after another. And eventually, Woyane will be binned itself which will mark the end of death, destruction, division and misery for millions in Ethiopians.

Now Woyane’s Tehadiso is in full swing and this time it means pitting Somalis against Oromos against Amharas. Their earlier machinations of pitting Oromos against Amharas, Christians against Moslems and so on… had all flopped one after another and this one will no doubt meet the same fate.

The Oromo revolution for self-determination and democracy, following its own natural progression, seems to be at a decisive and irreversible stage despite the fact that Oromos are fighting the fascist regime’s well – armed and highly trained Agazi forces. At this moment, the enemy is far superior in organisaton and fire power but we will eventually emerge victorious because we’re engaging the enemy in our backyards, our meadows and forests; above all, we have a motive to fight for, our freedom and dignity. And we have justice as well as a growing number of friends on our side. We should nurture this burgeoning solidarity and friendship by showing Oromo wisdom, patience and generosity. We should resist the temptation of overplaying our hands in the interest of peace and the future of our children.  The time is not far away when the famous Oromo cherished attribute of garaa bal’lummaa will be tested by complex and difficult issues that will unfold before us. We may be the victims now but all the calculus of power suggest that roles may be reversed sooner than later and Oromo leadership will become indispensable whether we like it or not. Then we cannot shy away because it’s going to be a historical responsibility. Let me take a leap of faith here and suggest the overall quest for democracy in the entire nation will amount to naught without Oromo leadership. We will then be able to see the symbiotic nexus between self-determination and democracy.

A little carried away, you may suggest, but a realistic scenario worth our time preparing for now in my view. But at this very moment Oromos at home are engaged in a life and death struggle with the TPLF murder squad, the Agazi, dying in scores perhaps in hundreds every day. They need our all-round support, material, financial, moral, political and we should be ready to stand by them. Our freedom fighters have transformed the struggle and are meeting fire with fire. And as it gets more and more desperate, the enemy will commit worse crimes than even Bishoftu. Rumours of deploying fighter jets against civilian populations are now rife. There is talk of planned mass murders of Oromo prisoners, this time by poisoning their food and drinks. I am hoping our people at home are made aware of these and other criminal intentions of the enemy so they can possibly guard against them.

Victory is Certain.