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S L F
STATEMENT OF THE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OF
THE ALLIANCE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY (AFD)
July 3,
2006
The Executive Committee of the Alliance for Freedom
and Democracy (AFD) held its first plenary meeting from June 29-July 1,
2006.
The executive Committee recognizes that the
formation of the Alliance is an unprecedented undertaking. It is the first
time in the history of Ethiopia that groups with divergent political
spectrum joined to form alliance of a new kind.
The Committee is aware that in order to realize its
vision of a just, free, representative and democratic order in Ethiopia, AFD
needs the understanding and support of its members’ constituencies and all
the people in Ethiopia and the international community.
The Alliance commends the constituents of member
organizations for their relentless struggle for freedom and democracy.
Member organizations have decided to begin to coordinate their energies,
voices, and actions in order to hasten the change needed to achieve freedom
and democracy. That is why they have, therefore, taken steps to reach across
political, cultural, geographical, and linguistic divides-and create the
basis for a coordinated struggle for freedom and democracy.
The Alliance recognizes the complexity of the
challenges and the problems in Ethiopia. However it is determined to
constructively work towards their resolution in a democratic manner and in
the spirit of mutual tolerance by rejecting the old zero-sum politics.
The Alliance asks the patience, understanding and
support of every freedom, peace and democracy loving person and urges them
to rally behind the objectives of the Alliance.
The Alliance does not seek to ostracize the ruling
party. The Alliance’s members wish is that the ruling party accepts the call
for an inclusive forum to discuss Ethiopia’s complex problems and develop
comprehensive and effective strategies to address them. The Alliance thus
hopes that the ruling part will not isolate itself by rejecting this
unprecedented initiative. Now is the time to join at the conference table
and resolve Ethiopia’s problems through dialogue and deliberation.
As a gesture of its willingness to become a party to
this historic process, the Executive Committee of the Alliance calls on the
ruling party to take the following steps:
First, release all:
(a) political
leaders jailed after the May 2005 election;
(b) those
prisoners of conscience imprisoned after the May elections:
(c) political
prisoners who are incarcerated prior to the May 2005 elections and since,
including those languishing in the small towns and rural villages,
particularly those facing torture in the notorious Maikalawi central prison.
Second, end the destructive military campaigns and
security crackdowns throughout the country.
Third, end immediately the current military campaign
in Ogaden.
Fourth, stop the repression in Oromia, Sidama,
Gambella, Amhara and other regions.
The Alliance appeals to the international community
to support the objectives of AFD and use their good offices and influence
with EPRDF to persuade it to join the all-inclusive process.
This Alliance’s members speak on behalf of the
overwhelming majority of Ethiopia’s population-and with their backing, we
are confident that our alliance for freedom and democracy will ultimately
prevail.
The
Alliance trust that the international community will support the initiative
to hold an all-inclusive conference. Its success will undoubtedly remove the
root causes of recurrent conflicts, instability, repression and chaos in
Ethiopia and the Horn region.
GRISLY
DEVELOPMENT
IN THE POLITICAL ARENA OF ETHIOPIA: A STEP BACKWARD.
JOINT STATEMENT
BY:
Ogaden National
Liberation Front (ONLF)
Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)
Sidama Liberation Front
(SLF)
Ethiopia is a country not fortunate to get peace and
stability since its creation. Devastating wars, conflicts between government
and oppressed people, influx of displaced people, abject poverty and
recurring famine have been the trademark of these obsolete successive
regimes in Addis Ababa.
Whatever form of government they claim, all regimes
that came to power in Ethiopia failed to tackle the fundamental political
problems and bring lasting and sustainable peace and stability. This dire
circumstance remains so due to their lack of recognition of colonial nature
of the empire –state and how it was created. In order to find out lasting
solution for the outstanding political problems, recent events that took
place in the political arena proves that present regime in Ethiopia is even
more obstinate to accept this reality.
The first step in an endeavor to solve the myriad
problems in Ethiopia is to accept peoples’ rights to democracy and the right
to be masters of their destiny. As long as they do not have any say in their
affairs the country will be plunged into an abyss of even more acute
conflicts and endless famine than the existing ones today. All the conflicts
and political crises in Ethiopia emanates from this fundamental problem.
Chauvinistic ethnic dominated regimes try to hide the
tyrannical nature of Ethiopia by pretending to be humane with empty
rhetorics that bring no solutions to the outstanding national questions.
Drum beating about unity of Ethiopia without recognizing the rights of
nations and nationalities to self-determination will not bring peace and
stability. Equality and recognition of human rights are prerequisite for
unity of any society. However, where part of the population are chattels who
can be killed, raped, maimed, misappropriated their belongings at will and
others are masters, unity is the day dream which is characteristics of the
self interested Abyssinian rulers.
When the Woyane regime came to power it seemed to
address some of the basic problems that exist. The adoption of the
Transitional Charter, which unequivocally stipulates the recognition of the
principle of the rights of nations to self-determination and the following
constitution, raised short-lived hopes of our oppressed nations. The rights
of nations to self-determination which is written on the constitution is so
far remained on paper only. The sham federal system is being dismantled. For
this purpose a draft law to interfere in the internal affairs of the
regional state is prepared. Rights of people to use their languages at
schools and in the administration are being replaced by Amharic. This shows
TPLF regime is sliding backward to the days of the Emporers’ rule when there
is no hope of talk of any solution of national questions and oppressed
nations have no right what so ever.
The All Party Conference that was recently convened in
USA, seems to be new development in the annals of the history of this
empire-state. We, the undersigned liberation fronts have carefully read the
resolution of this conference and are forced to make our observations and
comments. We welcome the coming together of different organizations, that
had acrimonious history, as a beginning of new relationship and toleration,
that never existed before. We also welcome any attempt to deliberate
jointly on the political and related issues of the country as the right step
in the right direction. However, any force, be it newly formed united front
or those already exist, that does not address the fundamental problems in
Ethiopia, but ponders on superficial issues will not bring much needed peace
and stability not only in Ethiopia but in the whole region. Ethiopia does
not only need regime change, it needs change of attitude towards the root
cause. It needs a government that boldly faces the basic problem, which is
the empire nature of this country and arrogance of its rulers.
The All Party Conference, though it seems to be a good
beginning, did not give, in its deliberation, due consideration to the
rights of oppressed peoples to self-determination which is the corner stone
to solve the political crisis in Ethiopia. Any attempt that neglects or
denies peoples’ rights will undermine unity, fraternity and brotherhood of
the people in the Empire regime as well as those living in the Horn of
Africa.
We, therefore recommend to this united front to
carefully assess its resolutions and correct its shortcomings and stand
before we take our position towards them. We oppose any war and conflicts of
any sort; but we are equally or more fiercely oppose against the misery and
suffering of our peoples that has been caused by successive regimes in
Ethiopia. Our struggle and strife is to end such untold misery and suffering
of our peoples. Any attempt by the incumbent regime or other forces to
deprive the peoples from exercising the rights they gained through their
bitter and long struggle, and any aspiration to reverse history to take the
system back to the days of "taqilay gizat" will meet our joint fierce and
stiff resistance.
August 22, 2003
By: Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)
Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)
Sidama
Liberation Front (SLF) |