mounting tension

Ethiopia’s Oromia region at risk of full-blown conflict amid stalled negotiations for peace

By Samuel Getachew

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Posted on May 17, 2023 14:54

 © A man takes part in celebrations for the return of the formerly banned anti-government group the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) at Mesquel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on September 15, 2018.   (Photo by MIchael TEWELDE / AFP)
A man takes part in celebrations for the return of the formerly banned anti-government group the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) at Mesquel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on September 15, 2018. (Photo by MIchael TEWELDE / AFP)

In the aftermath of the peace deal signed in Tigray, over in the heart of Ethiopia’s most populous state, Oromia Region, a fierce battle continues to rage between the Ethiopian National Defence Force and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which the federal government calls “Shene” and declared as a terrorist organisation in 2021.

With more than 40 million people calling the region home, the stakes are high and tensions are mounting as the conflict escalates and the fate of the Oromia Region hangs in the balance. The OLA, a self-proclaimed rebel group, is determined to fight for its cause of ensuring the right of self-determination of Oromos.

In 2018, the rebel group made its way to Ethiopia following a historic peace deal signed in Asmara, Eritrea, between the Abiy Ahmed-led administration and the Oromo Liberation Front, its political wing. The agreement paved the way for the group to participate peacefully in the country’s political transition to democracy.

Its arrival marked a significant turning point in Ethiopia’s then-rejuvenated political landscape with a new Prime Minister at its helm. Despite initial scepticism and concerns about the group’s intentions, many saw the move as a way to end a dead-lock after

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