Hangaasuu Bilisummaa Journal Volume 1 - ULFO

The basis of Mushrooming Factions within Oromo Liberation Forces VOLUME 1 SPRING 2010
The basis of Mushrooming Factions within Oromo Liberation Forces
The basis of Mushrooming Factions within Oromo Liberation Forces
Lack of Understanding the Value of Freedom and Ingredients to Get It
By Dirribaa Ejere
At this critical time in our
struggle when one strong Oromo
organization is badly needed,
much to the chagrin of millions of
freedom seeking Oromos, we see
fragmentation of existing
organizations. We are witnessing
the ever more mushrooming
factions within Oromo liberation
forces. More worrying is not the
number or disunity of these
factions but the internecine feud
amongst them. The infighting
have not confined itself among
higher echelon of these factions
but transmitted to Oromo
communities so much so that
close friends in the community
are turned to arch enemies
because of the infighting factions
are scrambling for supporters
from within communities
relaying such embarrassing,
tragic and crippling infighting to
the Oromo grass roots level.
This is one urgent problem that
the Oromo mass can no longer
shunt aside. This article addresses
the root cause of the problem.
More often than not, we tend to
concentrate on secondary causes
of problems. However, these
secondary causes themselves
have roots. It is of paramount
importance to understand issues
from deeper and broader
perspective in order to form right
thought from where right
solution emanates. As the old
adage goes, a problem well
understood is a problem half
solved. Here, lack of
understanding the value of
freedom and lack of
understanding the indispensable
ingredient required in order to
achieve freedom are discussed as
the primary cause of the problem
that initiates chain of secondary
causes like power struggle,
localism, religion, partisanship
and buckling to peer pressure.
Lack of understanding
One cause of mushrooming
factions and fragmentation is lack
of understanding the value of
freedom and ingredients that are
necessary to get it. One may cite
power struggle, corruption,
region, religion, partisanship,
peer pressure, flocking with
acquaintances and ideological
divergence and so on as the
causes of disunity among Oromo
factions. However, these factors
have causes themselves; a
primary cause. They are just the
by-products of the primary cause.
The primary cause is lack of
understanding the value of
freedom and ingredients that are
necessary to get it. If one knows
and understands the value of
freedom; if one knows unity is
the indispensable ingredient to
get freedom; one surely does not
engage in the aforementioned
divisive elements.
Some of the means by which
understanding can be facilitated
are first hand experience,
observation of others experience
and experience of the opposite
condition. In order to miss
freedom, one must have directly
experienced its value, taste,
necessity and so on. One can also
observe freedom as it is
experienced by others around us
and may understand its value.
Experiencing slavery can also
help us to understand the value
of freedom just like one who
experiences hunger understands
the value of food.
The current Oromo generations
have not directly experienced the
taste and value of freedom. Born
and brought up under the yoke of
slavery, these generations lack
the first hand experience as to
what living in freedom means
and feels like. However, we are
now observing those who enjoy
freedom around us and most
importantly we are now
experiencing the abject misery
Hangaasuu Bilisummaa 22