December 28, 2000

It is about a month since the TPLF Executive Committee held an emergency meeting in Mekele to discuss on the political development in Oromia and drew three courses of actions to be taken. The courses of actions that the TPLF Executive Committee drew were nothing but a declaration of an all out war on the Oromo people. The barbaric, inhuman and racist action taken on Oromo students of Finfinne University is another dimension of the planned war on the Oromo people.
The incident that started on December 21, 2000, in Sociology Department of the University, was a preplanned and calculated action, endorsed by Dr. Getachew Kassa, a Tigrean, to provoke Oromo students in the university. The TPLF rewarded the endeavor of Oromo students to resolve the conflict in a civilized and peaceful manner by raiding the University dormitories with 400 special force. This force had long list of Oromo students in the university with their room numbers during the raid. The TPLF Special force beat Oromo student brutally and they detained more than 115 Oromo students (attached is list of some of the Oromo students arrested) at MaikaIawi, Holota, Kolfe and Sandafa prisons.

The beating was very inhuman and brutal that some of the students may sustain permanent physical damage. There is high probability that students Qadida and Gobana may die because of the beating and they are denied medical treatment. It as suspected that student Tuli Bayisa, the chairman of Oromo students in the University, may lose an eye. Two female Oromo students in the university who were badly beaten and kicked n abdomen are admitted to a hospital with complication in the womb. From all the students detained, thus far, they released only 55 students and brought 18 students before the court on 26/12/2000. This arrest and beating of Oromo students of Finfinne University is part of the general plan drawn by TPLF's Executive Committee in Mekele against the Oromo people.

Today, the campuses of Finfinne University and Colleges around the city have be­come where Oromo students are terrorized and persecuted Oromo students do not have any guarantee to peacefully continue their studies. The over all plan is to frustrate enlightened Oromos from attending higher education and to suppress Oromo resistance against oppression. This act of the TPLF is naked racism that is parallel to the policies practiced by the apartheid government of South Africa. The irony is that the TFLF government is being rewarded with 400 million US dollars from the World Bank and full backing from the USA government for its war of genocide against the Oromo people.

We once again want to alert the Oromo people that the TPLF has declared an all out war of genocide and racism on us. Oromos of all walks of life should stand united to challenge this evil plan of TPLF. The current event indicates that it has become a question of survival as a nation for the Oromo people. Those Oromos working in the armed forces, police force and security apparatuses of Wayane should refrain from doing any thing that helps the execution of this heinous plan of TPLF and should respond to the call of their people for national liberation struggle. Oromo workers, civil servants, farmers and merchants should be aware of the danger looming over us as a nation and vigorously pursue the only alternative left for us; that is to intensify the national liberation struggle. Above all, Oromo students all over Oromia should not kneel down to the harassment and intimidation of Wayane and accept servitude and domination. All Oromo students and youth should show their solidarity with Oromo students suffering in the prisons of TPLF. Likewise, we call upon the oppressed nations in Ethiopia, who have similar fate with Oromo people, to coordinate their struggle with the struggle of Oromo people for freedom and justice.

Finally, we want to remind all humanitarian organizations, peace loving governments and individuals to put necessary pressure on the racist regime in Ethiopia to stop harassing Oromo students and respect the rights of all peoples in the country. Particularly, we want to make it very clear to the World Bank that the money the Bank gives to the TPLF regime is boosting its moral and encouraging it to continue its action of suppression and violation of human rights. We hope the Bank would reassess the aid money promised to Ethiopia. The TPLF regime should not be allowed to continue with its inhuman and racist deeds.