Ethiopia – Oromo OLF says not involved in recent Addis Ababa explosions

Mar 21, 2006 — Since its ascension to power the Wayane (TPLF/EPRDF) regime has been terrorizing the peoples under its brutal rule by murdering, torturing and imprisoning. The regime demonstrated, beyond any reasonable doubt, that it is willing and capable of committing heinous atrocities in order to fulfill its infamous ambitions. Its track record clearly shows that its atrocity never spares even the people it claims to represent. A vivid reminder of the latter is the regime’s role in the brutal bombing of the Hawzen town in the heartland of its support base, the Tigray region. If they can commit a crime of such magnitude against their own people, no doubt, they can do worse to other peoples who are battling the regime for survival.

Recently, having been rejected by the people of Ethiopia, the dying regime resorted to its old brutal tactics. The recent measures, involving mass detentions and killings of innocent school children, are all indicative of the regime’s nature.

In order to conceal and systematize its crimes, the leadership of the Wayane regime has recently commenced an emergency meeting to formulate strategies and find ways of falsely incriminating opposition parties and liberation fronts that are struggling for the rights of their people. Among strategies adopted was that, the TPLF leadership commit an act of terrorism and blame it on opposition parties and liberation fronts in a futile attempt to accuse for acts of terrorism and thereby secure its place on the bandwagon of the coalition against terrorism. Accordingly, the Wayane special force planted bombs at three different locations: at the Laliballa Restaurant, in Markato area and at the School of Tourism around Mexico center area, causing injuries and extensive property damages, last week. Overnight, their police claimed that it finalized its investigations and released its report accusing the OLF. It is to be recalled that this regime staged similar drama in 2003 and again few weeks ago followed by false accusations, all of which failed to achieve what they were designed for.

This time around, the renewed drama and baseless accusation of the OLF is obviously prompted by the wide spread popular uprising of the Oromo people spearheaded by the gallant Oromo students. In recent weeks, the Oromo people’s uprising took a new dimension by embarking on an effective economic embargo, effectively withholding supply of Oromo products from markets. Panicked by this historic resistance of our people the regime is scrambling to incriminate the vanguard of the Oromo people, the OLF, and hence the drama of planting bombs and false accusation that followed immediately.

As we have made it clear before and making it clear again, the OLF categorically rejects terrorism as a means of struggle. The OLF sincerely believes that terrorist tactics cannot serve the cause of the Oromo people. It is a manifestation of desperation. The OLF has never used, nor will it use terrorist tactics to achieve its goals. Thus, we would like to warn the Wayane regime that accusing the OLF of fabricated crimes can not obstruct the just question of the Oromo people nor does it buy time for a dying regime.

Finally, we would like to call on the international community to take a good note of the pattern in the behaviors of this regime and press this regime to address the issue head on instead of avoiding it and using false accusation of other parties to prolong its tyrannical rule.