Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the armed group operating in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, has invited Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) for a joint struggle against the Ethiopian government. ONLF fought Ethiopian security forces for years but in 2018 it signed a peace deal with the government.
“The Somali and Oromo people share a bond deeper than alliance-a brotherhood tempered through shared struggle and common aspirations. Our people are bound by camaraderie, and the political movements born from our collective struggles have always been-and will remain-allies in the fight against all forms of oppression. Together, we strive for the liberation and democratic future our people so richly deserve, OLA said in a statement issued yesterday.
However OLA strongly refuted an assertion in the ONLF’s March 30, 2025 statement that equated the Oromo people with the Ethiopian regime led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. They clarify that the Oromo are victims of the regime, citing its violent crackdown on Oromia beginning in January 2019. They argue that such mischaracterizations risk sowing division, benefiting the regime by weakening opposition unity.
“In us, you have found unwavering comrades in arms. We stand shoulder to shoulder against the OPDO-led regime that exploits our people-a regime that was never born of the struggle for our people but of their oppression,” Oromo Liberation Army concluded.
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in some recent statements threatened to withdraw from 2018 peace deal with Ethiopian government. It is unclear if ONLF will revert to armed struggle or not, but OLA wants ONLF to resume a joint armed struggle against the Ethiopian government.
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