I can see that being the case. AJE definitely takes the side of the protesting group in most of its stories. I’m thinking that now that internet has returned they’ll begin to more accurately report things on the ground. I think the success of Oromo nationalists is because not many Ethiopians really thought it would get this big and they was no counter narrative. In fact, Oromos have been in full command of the narrative and still raising funds through Facebook. It’s only now that other Ethiopians are beginning to push back.
I agree, Oromos have legit grievances. As far as I’m concerned, the definition of Ethiopian has to expand from just some highlander phenomenon. We gotta be real and remember that the name Ethiopia goes far beyond Axum or Abyssinia and as such it includes the Oromos. With that said, I can’t tell you what other issues they have. They got their own flag, are mostly autonomous, administer and teach in their language and are allowed to practice their customs. I was told by a family member that they’d read in one time that the schism came about because Meles double crossed the OLF when the TPLF came to power. Oromos were supposed to have their own Eritrea made from crude maps in the bush and Meles decided against it. I’m not sure how true that is but paranoia of Amhara domination when the Imperial era ended in 1974 and the victim complex shyt with regards to Abiy’s Pan Ethiopian platform has been fascinating as well as disturbing in its rinky dink, uninformed rhetoric. I personally think it has more to do with Abiy attempting to do away with the ethnic based system with a Pan Ethiopian platform and the extremist elements within the Oromo are not pleased after they had been instrumental in bringing him into power. So as a result, they want Jawar or someone else like him to run against Abiy and bank on Oromo support in the elections. It’s a strange paradox in Ethiopian politics, many people weren’t fans of Meles or the ethnic based system he implemented and yet they grip on that system desperately because it’s nature of divide and conquer is preferable for these would be fascist diasporans in America, Canada, and Europe with dreams of power. It’s like we are against how things have been done but we don’t change our ways.
The good thing is that there are many Oromos who don’t fall under the extremist umbrella and some of them have been killed over it. This has caused a rift within the Oromo themselves. That of course can help out Abiy, but he’s in some shyt right now because both the Oromo nationalists and the TPLF have ambitions to take power. As you said tho, his best bet is to be pragmatic and prudent with his approach. The GERD is an important step for him and getting that done will perhaps slow down some of the simmering tensions.
Jawar’s platform has been popular for awhile. His media operation was in Minneapolis, the heart of Oromo country in America. He came up as a young man under other Oromo nationalists that fought in conflicts. I think that gave him an audience that would listen as well as spread the message to people back home. As I’ve said in other threads, many Ethiopians shamefully have inadequate knowledge of themselves and their fellow citizens. So online media personalities on both sides are using bombastic rhetoric which has stoked the flames of zero sum ethnic politics with Rwanda style machete work on the side.
But this is much more ethnic based than religious based. But the religious angle is dangerous because Christian Ethiopians are still scarred from Ahmed Gragn and will be more likely to react if it gets increasingly religious based. But overall, Oromos are lowkey messing up their own argument with this idiocy. They act as if they were captured, brought, and forced to be Ethiopian when it was their hoards from north Kenya and southern Ethiopia/Somalia that traveled north and East during the Abyssinian-Adal wars and brutalized Cushytic speaking Muslims like the Somali Dir tribe which founded Dire Dawa and Semitic speaking Abyssinian Christians. They were opportunistic in their capture of land and now they act as if they were fully indigenous to it and had every bit of their experience imposed on them. They migrated, invaded, in some cases wiped out or forcefully assimilated smaller more vulnerable groups. So they can’t argue against a Pan Ethiopian identity that is more inclusive and can continue to adjust to accommodate any group that might feel marginalized seeing as how Oromo nationalism and extremism is the very platform of cultural hegemony they accuse the government of.
Ethiopia has immense potential, but could also be staring at the brink. Quite remarkable times.
