Boycott call #2
My position is a consequence of more than 100 years of debilitating occupation, the dispossession of most Oromos, Ethiopian’s continuing atrocities, and its breaches of international law and of humanitarian standards, as well as the general discriminatory nature of its system. These practices are all well documented in reports of human rights agencies, and are starkly visible in the form of facts on the ground.
Because the facts speak for themselves, but a solution is nowhere in sight, it is time for people of conscience to take a stand and influence both public opinion and government policies. It now must be so since the world’s powers have failed to take measures that hold Ethiopia, like any other state, accountable for its abuses and force it to adhere to international standards. In the absence of any such accountability, it becomes the duty of citizens to act independently to expose and resist injustice. The boycott of Habesha businesses is a pacifist form of resistance that sends a strong message of concern over the on-going destruction of Oromo educational institutions, culture, language, economy and, in particular, helps expose to the world’s public the culpability of Ethiopia government in perpetuating illegal activities in Oromia. This boycott entails a pledge not to support or participate in any Habesha business. I believe this international boycott should be sustained until Ethiopians and Ethiopian government stop all of the above mentioned abuses in Oromia and restore the right of Oromo to self determination. Meanwhile, I encourage dialogue with Oromos in Diasporas and in Oromia who demonstrate readiness to participate in realizing these objectives.
I challenge other Oromo individuals, politicians, religious leaders, human right activist and Oromo intellectuals not to remain unmoved, or by their silence become complicit, but rather to take a stand and act in solidarity with the Oromos movement against the Ethiopian government’s political and economic war in Oromia. I urge fellow Oromos worldwide to adhere to and publicize this call to boycott any business owned by Habesha in Oromia and in any part of the world, and to affirm it as an act of conscience.
Note: pass this message to all Oromos and friends of Oromos…
/Speak out Oromo
