Ethiopian Somali Opposition Parties Criticize Oromo Parties

Ethiopian Somali opposition political parties issued a statement on Tuesday. The four parties criticized a statement issued by two Oromo political parties.

Last week, two prominent Oromia based opposition political parties Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) held four-day long discussions and issued a statement.

On Tuesday, four Ethiopian Somali region based opposition political parties i.e. Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Freedom and Equality Party (FEP), the Union for Democracy and Freedom Party (UDFP), and the Western Somali Democratic Party (WSDP) issued a statement. They strongly opposed the statements and actions of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC. They claimed that the two Oromo political parties have intentions to reclaim territories, including Diredawa and Moyale.

The four Somali parties demanded a referendum. “Territories bordering Oromia such as Ma’iso, Babili, Gursum, and others have been subject to annexation from the Somali Region through an illegal referendum. Military forces were used to coerce people into voting for Oromia, and the commission overseeing the referendum lacked impartiality. Equal rights protections were not preserved. Therefore, we call upon the federal government to arrange a new referendum to allow the people in these areas to freely and peacefully exercise their right to choose the region they wish to belong to,” they said.

OLF and OFC in their statement raised question about the status of Addis Ababa. They said that Finfinee (Addis Ababa) is part of Oromia and is Oromia regional capital. “The rhetoric and actions of the OLF and OFC risk inflaming ethnic tensions and destabilizing the region,” the Somali parties said.

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