"Ethiopia must move from a policy of assassination to a negotiation policy," said Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) president Prof...
"Ethiopia must move from a policy of assassination to a negotiation policy," said Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) president Professor Merera Gudina, who recently called for an end to the war.
"The country is in a crisis it has never seen in its history," Merera said.
"The forces that say Ethiopia must continue and those who believe in the unity of Ethiopia, those who want to sit down and save the country and its people, need to sit down and talk, so that the country can move from assassination politics to negotiation," he said.
He also stressed that the country can emerge from the current wars, massacres, famines and displacement of millions through national consensus.
"Ethiopia is in the throes of a catastrophe that has never been seen before in its history. It must no longer be involved in the politics of assassination.
During a two-day conference in Addis Ababa, OFCO discussed the country's pressing issues, the struggle of the Oromo people and the changes that have taken place in the country over the years. He said in a statement that he would not participate in the national consultation.
The main reason for OFCO's non-participation in the national consultation is mainly due to its independence, impartiality and inclusiveness, said Professor Merera.
He argues that independent and impartial institutions cannot judge and persuade, and that it is meaningless if it does not include all parties in the same way. They point out that the various armed forces in the country did not participate in this consultation.
The now-established commission "Will it include Oromo militants in the forest? Can they go and talk? Can they negotiate?" He also argued that they could not bring the country's rival forces together.
He cites the 200,000 troops in Tigray, as well as Oromo militants, Benishangul-Gumuz militants, and Gambella militants. They ask.
"Especially if the ruling party, which does not meet the two basic issues and is self-employed in the parliament, which controls 98% of the country, will produce a national consensus? What will they do? Opposition parties do not agree," he told the BBC.
The government asked the BBC if the commissioners were elected by the people, and he described the elections in Ethiopia as "sham", citing history.
He noted that Emperor Haile Selassie had called the parliament elected by the people of the Derg Republic for the last 27 years.
"The reality is that he did not choose them. This situation has brought Ethiopia here," he said.
Regarding Ethiopia's recent election, they say it does not address three basic issues that need to be addressed. They say that peace and stability, democratic order and meaningful economic development have not been possible.
"There is an unprecedented famine in the history of Ethiopia. Amhara and Kemant, who have lived together for thousands of years, are in the grip of a massacre. The massacre of Agwo, Amhara and Tigray, who have lived together for thousands of years, can be traced back to what we are talking about.
What evidence do you have that they were not elected by the people and that they were not free? They were asked by the BBC.
If you know the commissioners personally, you know the six, but the question is not about the commissioners, but about the process.
"The commission is flawed or dead before it is born," he said, citing a lack of key opponents in the discussion.
"The ruling party and its supporters can negotiate in parliament whenever they want. It is a matter of whether or not the opposition can persuade this commission.
In particular, he noted that this is an approach to dialogue between different parties, noting that in Ethiopia, mediation is a process in which each party counts its own elders and a third party is involved in the other world.
He recalled that Prime Minister Abe had been in talks since he came to power.
In light of OFEC's repeated demands that negotiations be held, will their demands be for power without elections? They were asked by the BBC.
"Power belongs to the people. We have been pushed out of the election. Most Ethiopians did not vote. The election is not free, fair and credible," he said.
They also say that last year's Ethiopian election was not held in many places, including the Oromia region.
"The biggest part of Ethiopia is Oromia. There were no elections in this area. To have an election means to have a candidate. The ruling party is competing only with itself. Why is public resources flowing to compete with itself?" They said.
He also noted that the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) had been pushed out of the Somali region.
He noted that the Benishangul-Gumuz region, as well as the Tigray region, had not been able to participate in the by-elections.
"Power belongs to the people; it is up to the people to judge. This country needs a free and fair election with a national consensus.
No comments