Ethiopia-Oromia: OLF rebels praise Islamist-led forum in Eritrea

[Jacaylbaro]

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has backed the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) led conference in Eritrea saying that it was “a commended step.”

 

The OLF, labeled a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian government, functions from Eritrea along side other rebels fighting the Ethiopian, Sudanese and Somalia governments. According to the information distributed from pro-OLF media sources, the organization said the “Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia in Eritrea has to be supported by all peace loving and respecting entities.” It said this conference was organized to “liberate” Somalia from “the occupying Ethiopian government forces.” Critics say the conference held in Eritrea resembled the over a dozen other conferences held outside Somalia in contrast to the Mogadishu conference last month. The ICU is also said to be led by members of the minority Habr Gidir sub-clan.

 

In endorsement of the ICU-led conference organized by Eritrea, the OLF stated that “the problem in Somalia will be solved only by the Somali people” and the alliance will help find solution for Somalis “in their own way.” In contrast to OLF's statements, international newspapers have been reporting that the conference being organized by the Eritrean government confirmed that the situation is increasingly becoming the proxy war between Eritrea & Ethiopia.

 

The United Nations also contradicted the independence of ICU & its affiliates describing numerous foreign fighters in Somalia and by listing a number of entities from the Gulf nations as well as Iran & Eritrea who are financing the ICU movement against the Somalia government.

 

Despite rejections by the OLF, many independent sources have suggested that the OLF has been exploiting the 16 years of anarchy in Somalia as its base for war on the Ethiopian government. In 1998, BBC reported that the OLF was organizing meetings in Mogadishu and stated that a "ship load of arms and additional 1,500 Oromo fighters" were being moved from Eritrea to southern Somalia at the OLF training center of Qorioli. When the Ethiopian troops arrived in southern Somalia, many OLF members and other Oromos suspected of links with the OLF were reportedly detained by the allied Ethiopian-Somali forces that drove out the ICU.

 

The OLF has been fighting for the independence of ethnic Oromo people for more than 30 years. The OLF shares the support of the Oromo people with the OPDO/EPRDF ruling party in Ethiopia and the Oromo National Congress (ONC) & Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) opposition parties in parliament. Recently, the Ethiopian government has been accused of detaining and torturing some Oromos suspected of being members of the OLF; though it denies the charges.

 

The OLF organization defended any military activities by the alliance formed in Eritrea stating that “any loses of life and material due to any military action" by the ICU-led alliance should be blamed on the Ethiopian & Somali government troops.

 

 

Source: Jimma Times