1970–1980 In 1974, the Ethiopian military
ousted the imperial regime and seized control of the country. The new
Derg regime promptly arrested Oromo leaders; subsequently a secret conference attended by Oromo leaders, including
Hussein Sora and
Elemo Qiltu, formed the OLF. A group of armed Oromo fighters in the
Chercher Mountains were adopted as the OLF's armed wing, the OLA. The OLA increased its activities in the Chercher Mountains, prompting the Ethiopian regime to send its military to the region to quell the insurrection. In late August 1974, an OLA unit left their stronghold in the Chercher Mountains and advanced closer to
Gelemso, hoping that nearby fully grown crops would hide them from Ethiopian soldiers as they made their way towards nearby towns. Three of the unit's new recruits were unaccustomed to climbing long distances, so they spent the night at the foot of the mountains, while the rest of the soldiers camped at the top. An OLA soldier sent to retrieve the three recruits discovered that they had been killed by Ethiopian militiamen who had followed the unit to
Tiro. A large group of Ethiopian policemen and militiamen surrounded the OLA position in the mountains, and the two opposing groups exchanged gunfire. A group of Ethiopian soldiers led by General Getachew Shibeshi arrived and shelled the stronghold with mortars, killing most of the OLA's members, including Qiltu. The event became known as the
Battle of Tiro. A congress created by Oromo leaders revised the 1973
OLF Political Program and issued a new detailed program calling for the "total liberation of the Oromo nation from Ethiopian colonialism". The conference, now known as the Founding Congress, marked the beginning of modern Oromo nationalism. In the late 1990s, most of the OLF's leaders escaped Ethiopia, and the land originally administered by the OLF was seized by the Ethiopian government, led by the EPRDF.
2000–2018 , 3 February 2006 After the
Eritrean–Ethiopian War, the OLF moved its leadership and headquarters to
Eritrea. The OLA allegedly began receiving military training and arms from the Eritrean government. On 25 July 2000, OLF and IFLO signed a peace agreement after five days of negotiations, thus ending 20 years of inter-factional fighting. In 2004, the
Gambela Region-based
Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front (EUPF) rebel group launched forays into Oromia with the help of Eritrea. These raids were limited in scope, however, as the EUPF had no popular support among the Oromo people, despite having some Oromo members. In 2006, the OLA in southern Oromia retreated into Kenya in an attempt to regroup. That same year, Brigadier General
Kemel Gelchu of the Ethiopian military took 100 of his soldiers and defected to the OLF in Eritrea. Despite initially aiding the OLF as leader of its military wing, in 2008, General Kemel Gelchu took matters into his own hands and announced that the OLF would lay down its weapons and abandon its previous goal of seceding Oromia and instead work as a political party to democratize Ethiopia. Along with this announcement, he commanded OLF soldiers in south Oromia to lay down their weapons and surrender to the government. On 30 May 2015, various media outlets reported that the OLF had attacked a federal police station in the Ethiopian side of
Moyale town killing twelve Ethiopian soldiers. This occurred weeks after Ethiopian forces swarmed across the Kenyan border and began abusing the locals of
Sololo, looking for OLF troops. These forces later responded to the attack by launching an attack on Moyale District Hospital and killing one guard. According to
Amnesty International, as of 2014, there was sweeping repression in the
Oromia Region of Ethiopia. On 19 December 2015, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported violent protests in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in which more than 75 students were killed. According to the report, the students were protesting the government's illegal expansion of
2014 Addis Ababa Master Plan On 2 October 2016, between 55 and 300 festival-goers were massacred at the most sacred and largest event of the Oromo, the
Irreecha cultural thanksgiving festival. In just one day, dozens were killed and many more injured. Every year, millions of Oromos, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, gather in
Bishoftu for this annual celebration. However that year Ethiopian security forces responded to peaceful protests by firing tear gas and live bullets at over two million people surrounded by a lake and cliffs. In the week that followed, angry youth attacked government buildings and private businesses. On 8 October, the government responded with a state of emergency lifted not lifted until August 2017. During the state of emergency, security forces arbitrarily detained over 21,000 people.
OLA insurgency (2018–present) In April 2018 the OLF made peace with the Ethiopian government along with several other groups including the
Ogaden National Liberation Front and
Ginbot 7. The OLF leadership agreed to disarm its soldiers within 15 days of their arrival in Addis Ababa. According to then-OLF leader Ibsa Negewo, the OLF claimed to have 1,305 soldiers in Eritrea and 4,000 in West and South Oromia. The men stationed in Eritrea agreed to disarm but most of those in Oromia refused to do so despite their leaders’ wishes. One leader, Kumsa Diriba, also known as "Jaal Maro", failed to reach a deal with the government and after a falling out with the OLF, he split away from the OLF and formed OLF–Shene, also known as the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Security forces promised to crush the group within two weeks but haven't been able to do so even after 5 years of fighting. During the following two years, OLA killed 700 civilians in the East and
West Guji Zones according to Haaji Umar Nagessa, a "veteran freedom fighter and tribal leader", who was assassinated by the OLA on 4 April 2020. On December 1, 2024, an OLA faction led by Jaal Senay Negasa signed a peace deal with
Oromia Region President
Shimelis Abdisa. == References ==