December 2, 2024
Borkena
Toronto – Ethiopian state media reported on Sunday that Oromia Regional State President Shimelis Abdisa signed a “peace deal” with Jal Segni Negassa, described as a senior leader of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
Fana Broadcasting Corporate, the source of the report, stated that the agreement was signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. The report framed the event as Jal Segni accepting the government’s call for peace.
“I would like to thank you on behalf of the region’s government for coming and accepting the Oromo people’s call for peace,” Shimelis was quoted as saying.
Berhanu Jula, Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force, attended the signing ceremony and reportedly thanked “those who came accepting the call for peace.” He emphasized the need to replicate similar agreements in other areas.
Since large-scale war has been ongoing in the Amhara region since August 2023, the defense chief appeared to reference a potential peace deal in that region. Rumors, reported by Anchor Media, suggest efforts to orchestrate a peace deal involving certain groups of Fano forces. However, the report provided no further details about this rumored deal.
“More than the warriors, what aggravates the war are those who do not understand it. From my experience, war is harmful. Therefore, you deserve to be thanked for choosing the path of peace and coming here,” the defense chief added.
Critics Question the Agreement
Criticism has emerged, casting doubt on whether the Oromia regional government’s claimed peace deal with the “senior Oromo Liberation Army leader” will effectively end the conflict and associated atrocities in the region, including massacres of civilians and kidnappings.
Reaction from the Oromo Liberation Army
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) released an official statement on Sunday via its social media page, dismissing the “peace deal” as a political maneuver.
It argued that the individuals involved in the agreement had already been dismissed from the OLA “for actively undermining the organization [OLA] and have no influence over anything OLA.”
The statement called the deal a continuation of earlier failed peace attempts, including negotiations in Tanzania, describing it as “Orwellian doublespeak—a thinly veiled ploy to co-opt the OLA leadership with hollow promises of power while continuing to undermine the legitimate demands” of the Oromo people.
The OLA also accused the government of orchestrating two recent incidents:
The alleged mass killing of civilians in Dera, North Shoa, Oromia region, intended to incite ethnic-based conflict between the Amhara and Oromo communities.
The recent massacre of Orthodox Christians in Arsi, depicted as an attempt to incite religious violence between Christians and Muslims.
OLA’s Controversial Image
While the OLA portrays itself as fighting for the Oromo people’s rights, the organization has been linked to numerous massacres of civilians in the Oromo region, mostly ethnic Amahra in several rural areas. Human rights organizations in Ethiopia have repeatedly reported these atrocities.
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