https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2612-6923
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ABSTRACT
Following the 2018 political reforms in Ethiopia, many rebel groups that were fighting against the government and labelled as ‘terrorists’ were allowed to return to the country. The most prominent of these was the Oromo Liberation Front, which had been based in Eritrea before it was granted amnesty. Subsequently, the Oromo Liberation Front announced a ceasefire, made a peace agreement with the Ethiopian government in the Eritrean capital Asmara and later entered Ethiopia. However, the details of the peace agreement were not publicised and there was no clarity on the legal grounds of the agreement. The peace agreement soon failed to deliver the expected outcome of peace. This paper argues that the failure of the agreement was due to a number of reasons, most notably the absence of a clear DDR process for ex-combatants, the presence of factions within the OLF, lack of political will and the absence of a democratic ethos.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 UN peacemaker, Peace Agreements. https://peacemaker.un.org/document-search?keys=&field_padate_value%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&field_pacountry_tid=&field_paregion_tid%5B%5D=15.
2 United Nations, Peace agreement between Government and Tigray. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130137.
3 The Washington Post. 2018. “Ethiopia’s prime minister resigns amid political turmoil.” February 15, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ethiopias-prime-minister-resigns-amid-political-turmoil/2018/02/15/ad3fc10a-1246-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html.
4 Ibid.
5 Human Rights Watch RW, “Report on Ethiopia.” https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/ethiopia.
6 USSD, “Country Reports on Terrorism (African overview).” https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/ethiopia/.
7 Austria, ACCORD, “Ethiopia: COI Compilation.” https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2021013/ACCORD_Ethiopia_COI_Compilation_November_2019.pdf.
8 Addis Standard, “News: ONLF Calls for Urgent Action on Establishment of ‘Emergency Drought Task Force' in Somali Region.” https://addisstandard.com/news-onlf-calls-for-urgentQ21action-on-establishment-of-emergency-drought-task-force-in-somali-region/. Africanews, “Ethiopia’s Ginbot 7 dissolves, transforms into new ‘united’ party.” https://www.africanews.com/2019/05/10/ethiopia-s-ginbot-7-dissolves-transforms-into-new-united-party/.
9 Amnesty International, “Ethiopia: Investigate police conduct.” https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/09/ethiopia-investigate-police-conduct-after-deaths-of-five-people-protesting-ethnic-clashes/.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Borkena News, “Oromo Liberation Front.” https://borkena.com/2022/02/08/oromo-liberation-front-armed-wing-continues-carnage-in-wollega/.
13 Mr Dawud Ibsa defended that OLF did not make any agreement to lay down its guns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQOGpBg0YpE&t=1014s.
14 Ibid.
15 The minister’s speech can be found on the official face book page of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation. https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=860334254090368&_rdr.
16 Ibid.
17 Ethiopia Insight, “Rallies held in Oromia over threat to disarm OLF.” https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2018/10/30/rallies-held-in-oromia-over-threat-to-disarm-olf/.
18 Addiszebe, “Recurring Blitz in Ataye.” https://addiszeybe.com/featured/news/currentaffairs/analysis/recurring-blitz-in-ataye.
19 Borkena News, “17 banks robbed within two days in Oromo.” https://borkena.com/2019/01/14/17-banks-robbed-within-two-days-oromo-region/.
See also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/02/killed-ethiopia-massacre-amnesty-oromia-amhara.
20 Aljazeera, “Ethiopian Forces Grave.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/29/ethiopian-security-forces-accused-of-grave-human-rights-abuses.
21 Ethiopian Press Agency, “Reports on Causalities.”
22 Aljazeera, “Ethiopia to designate TPLF and OLF Shene as terrorist groups.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/1/ethiopia-to-designate-tplf-olf-shene-as-terror-groups.
23 The Reporter Ethiopia, “The government and OLF sign peace agreement.” https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/goe-olf-sign-peace-agreement-asmara.
24 Borkena News, “Ethiopia to rollout program to DDR program.” https://borkena.com/2018/08/28/ethiopia-to-rollout-program-to-reintegrate-rebel-fighters-into-society/.
25 Addis Standard, “Government-OLF agree on ceasefire and encampment of rebel army.” https://addisstandard.com/news-breakthrough-as-government-olf-sg-agree-on-immediate-ceasefire-encampment-of-rebel-army-in-20-days/.
26 Ibid.
27 Addis Standard, “Failed Politics and Deception.” https://addisstandard.com/special-edition-failed-politics-and-deception-behind-the-crisis-in-western-and-southern-oromia/.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
30 Addis Standard, “Behind the crisis in western and southern Oromia.” https://addisstandard.com/special-edition-failed-politics-and-deception-behind-the-crisis-in-western-and-southern-oromia/.
31 Ibid.
32 Ibid.
33 Ethiopia Insight, “Lemmas choice: power or peace.” https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2019/01/01/team-lemmas-choice-power-or-peace/.
34 Ibid.
35 Human Rights Watch, “A boy publicly executed in Oromia.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/06/10/ethiopia-boy-publicly-executed-oromia.
36 BBC Amharic, “Who is the young man killed by the government.” https://www.bbc.com/amharic/news-57056786.
37 Ethiopian Peace Observatory, https://epo.acleddata.com/data/.
38 BBC Amharic, “Who is the young man killed by the government.” https://www.bbc.com/amharic/news-57056786.
39 Ethiopia Insight, “Lemmas choice: power or peace.”
40 Ibid.
41 The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced, with a ref. no. A1152/11/451 dated 8 December 2021, as the case between the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of OLF handled by the federal cassation desk. The NEBE also posted the letter dated 14 December on its Facebook official page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066827943709.
42 Ethiopia Insight, “Lemmas choice: power or peace.” https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2019/01/01/team-lemmas-choice-power-or-peace/.
43 Tesfanews, “OLF replace its leader.” https://tesfanews.net/bgeneral-hailu-gonfa-to-replace-general-kemal-gelchu-as-chairman-of-olf/.
44 Addis Standard, “Failed politics and deception.” https://addisstandard.com/special-edition-failed-politics-and-deception-behind-the-crisis-in-western-and-southern-oromia/.
45 Salem Solomon, December 04, 2019. “Efforts to End Ethiopia’s Ruling Party Draw Criticism from Within,” Africa. https://www.voanews.com/a/africa_efforts-end-ethiopias-ruling-party-draw-criticism-within/6180469.html.
46 After his public statement of disagreement on VOA, pressure was reportedly put to bear on Lemma Megersa and in a short statement in late 2019, it was declared that the two had reconciled their differences, without disclosing any substance of the talks. See Ezega, 23 December 2019. “Lemma Megersa Has Narrowed His Differences with Abiy Ahmed: Oromia Bureau.” https://www.ezega.com/News/NewsDetails/7584/Lemma-Megersa-Has-Narrowed-His-Differences-with-Abiy-Ahmed-Oromia-Bureau. Accessed 28 March 2020.
47 Reuter, “Ethiopia’s Tigray forces seek alliances.” https://www.reuters.com/world/ethiopias-tigray-forces-seek-new-military-alliance-2021-08-11/.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Marew Abebe Salemot
Marew Abebe Salemot is pursuing a Masters in Governance and Development at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He holds an MA in Federalism Studies and a BA in Journalism and Communications from Addis Ababa University. Since August 2019 he has been working as a lecturer and researcher at Debark University in Ethiopia.
Namhla Thando Matshanda
Namhla Thando Matshanda is a political historian with an interest in the Horn of Africa. She is currently senior lecturer in African Politics and International Relations in the Political Studies department, University of the Western Cape, in South Africa.