Oromia Says Peace Talks With OLA In Progress, Claims Facilitating Tanzania Negotiations

“Baseless claims”: OLA

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has denied the Oromia regional administration’s claim that the two are engaged in peace talks.

The regional administration asserted that peace talks with the armed group were “progressing very well” in a lengthy statement released on November 28, 2024.

“We have been engaged in continuous peace talks with OLA officers. These talks have focused on narrowing the difference between the government and OLA, and realizing sustainable peace in the region. Based on this,  we have reached consensus with OLA officials who are committed to peace. Based on this consensus, the peace talks are progressing very well. We hope the negotiations will be concluded with agreement and victory,” reads the statement.

It adds that the Prosperity Party has facilitated the second round of peace talks between the government and OLA.

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However, an OLA statement published a day later describes the regional administration’s assertions as “baseless claims.”

“The president of Oromia regional state [Shimelis Abdissa] asserted that the government had financed and facilitated the OLA delegation’s travel to Tanzania for peace talks. This is patently false. The delegation’s travel was entirely funded by international partners and executed using ICRC-owned aerial assets. If memory serves well, even the regime’s delegation’s participation was financed through the same mechanism,” reads the statement.

It accuses the government of distorting facts and perpetuating oppression.

In another recent statement, OLA asserted the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) collaborated with groups claiming ties with Fano to carry out the killing of civilians in North Shewa.

“Ethnic Oromo civilians and local residents are being killed because they refuse to expose OLA and refuse to hand over their arms to the government,” it reads.

The killings are also aimed at inciting further ethnic clashes between Oromia and Amhara, according to the OLA statement.

Hailu Adugna, head of the Oromia Communication Bureau, placed the blame for the killing of civilians squarely on armed groups in Oromia and Amhara. The administration’s statement did not specify which OLA members are taking part in the alleged negotiations.

“The political reform offered a stable and sustainable solution to Oromia’s problems. The opening of the democratic space brought together all Oromo forces domestic and abroad. That was a huge opportunity for Oromia. We have been calling for Oromo unity. Despite the good start, it soon ended with confrontations. Though we have been saying the military can never be the solution for Oromia’s problems, we have been killing each other for the past six years,” it reads.