Abbay Media
Shiberu Tamerat
During the protest in Shambu Wollega, the demonstrators proclaimed Oromos and Amaharas are inseparable.
The residents of Shambu, Wollega who came out in force to protest against the government of Ethiopia were seen waving protest banners in both Amharic and Oromifa, declaring Oromos and Amharas as one. The protesters of Shambu were heard chanting the slogan “Oromo blood is Amhara blood and Amhara blood is Oromo blood and we are inseparable” during the march.
Recently the two regional leaders have been spurred by calls for cooperation at a higher level and greater understanding between the two major ethnic groups. The recent trip of Oromo youth to Bahir Dar to participate in the campaign to root out an invasive weed covering Lake Tana and threatening natural resources of the lake, is a sign of the improved relationship between the two people who until now have been strained by government manufactured propaganda to create strife between the two major ethnic groups in Ethiopia.
During premier league soccer matches, fans traveling with their respective teams to either Oromia or Amhara region have been gracious and have been treating each other very well.
Leaders of Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) and Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Organization (OPDO) have been organizing meetings and forums to forge greater understanding between the two people and peacefully coexist in Ethiopia. The recent report that came out from the government of Ethiopia indicates how the government is threatened by the improved relationship of the two major ethnic groups in Ethiopia.
During the protest march in Gondar in the summer of 2015, the protesters chanted slogans “Oromo blood is our blood!” “The killing of our Oromo brothers should stop!”; “Release Mr. Bekele Gerba from prison!” showing their solidarity to their Oromo brothers who were brutalized by the regime’s forces is a recent memory.
The government of Ethiopia has been fueling ethnic violence for over twenty years to divide and conquer the people of Ethiopia. Recently, however, unity and cooperation among the different ethnic groups is giving rise to the creation of Ethiopia as a multi-ethnic country.
