By Aba Habtu
In a bold and concerning display of hegemonic ambition, the Oromo-led regime in Ethiopia has petitioned the National Reconciliation Commission for the annexation of Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Harar into the Oromia region. This proposal, presented at a regional forum in Oromia, reveals a calculated effort to reshape Ethiopia’s urban and cultural landscape through the lens of Oromummaa a radical nationalist ideology that seeks to place Oromo identity at the center of Ethiopian politics.
As reported by the Ethiopian Reporter on December 22, 2024, the Oromia forum put forth proposals addressing key issues such as Addis Ababa’s ownership, regional boundaries, the federal working language, and the national flag. While proponents justify these measures by citing historical grievances, the underlying reality is much more concerning: the regime’s true intent is to dismantle Ethiopia’s ethnic balance in order to consolidate power and ensure Oromo dominance across the country’s political, economic, and cultural hubs.
Oromia’s Constitutional Framework: A Tool for Exclusion
At the core of the Oromo regime’s expansionist agenda is the Oromia Constitution, which enshrines ethnic supremacy as its guiding principle. Article 8 asserts that sovereign power within Oromia belongs solely to the Oromo Nation. This exclusionary clause undermines the rights and contributions of non-Oromo communities, paving the way for the annexation of cities with diverse populations under the false justification of Oromo heritage.
Article 9 further solidifies this vision by establishing the supremacy of Oromia’s constitution over any conflicting federal laws. This provision effectively grants Oromia’s leadership the power to override national laws, enabling policies that marginalize non-Oromo communities. In practice, these constitutional provisions serve as legal tools to legitimize land grabs, forced displacements, and systemic discrimination, particularly targeting Amhara, Harari, Gurage, and Somali populations.
A Distorted Historical Narrative
The regime’s expansionist rhetoric is built upon a distorted historical narrative that claims Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Harar were wrongfully separated from Oromia. However, this narrative crumbles upon closer examination. Historical records make it clear that, of all the ethnic groups in Ethiopia, the Oromo are the most recent to settle in the region.
Addis Ababa, for example, was founded by Emperor Menelik II in the late 19th century and flourished long before substantial Oromo settlement. Dire Dawa, as detailed in The Historical-Sociology of Interaction in Dire Dawa by Belew Worku, emerged as a site of peaceful coexistence between Oromo, Somali, Harari, and Amhara communities. Similarly, Harar’s cultural identity is inseparable from the Harari people, who have maintained stewardship of the city for centuries. Historical and archaeological evidence confirms that both Addis Ababa (once known as Barara) and Harar were affluent centers of Amhara and Harari culture long before significant Oromo migration to these regions.
Despite this, the Oromo regime seeks to rewrite history, framing urban growth as the result of Oromo struggle and resilience. This revisionism serves to justify the annexation of Ethiopia’s most ethnically diverse cities and erases the contributions of other communities, all while expanding Oromia’s borders at the expense of neighboring regions.
The Legal Case Against Annexation
International law makes clear that the forced seizure of indigenous lands is illegal. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories, and resources. Article 26 of UNDRIP states that indigenous peoples have the right to lands they have traditionally owned or occupied. Therefore, the Oromo nationalists’ push to annex land where they are the most recent settlers violates both international law and ethical principles.
The Reality of Oromo Expansionism
Demographic shifts in Ethiopia’s urban centers reflect a deliberate and systematic effort to reshape the country’s ethnic composition in favor of Oromo hegemony. According to the 2007 Population and Housing Census, Amharas made up 47% of Addis Ababa’s population, while Oromos represented just 19%. In Harar, the Amhara majority of 51% recorded three decades ago has dwindled to 23%. Similarly, in Dire Dawa, Amharas now account for only 20%, showing a pattern of deliberate displacement and marginalization.
These demographic changes are not coincidental. They result from policies designed to reduce the presence of non-Oromo groups, especially Amharas, in key urban areas. By diminishing the numbers of non-Oromo populations in strategic cities, the Oromo political establishment seeks to consolidate control over Ethiopia’s political, cultural, and economic centers. This demographic manipulation is a powerful tool to transform Ethiopia’s federal structure into an extension of Oromia’s territorial and ideological reach, further sidelining other ethnic groups.
The December 2024 Oromia forum proposal makes it clear: by targeting Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Harar for annexation, the regime aims to extend Oromia’s borders and reshape Ethiopia’s federal landscape to secure Oromo supremacy.
Systematic Marginalization and the Drive for Hegemony
Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rise to power, the Oromo-led regime has systematically marginalized Amhara and other non-Oromo communities through forced displacement, economic exclusion, and demographic engineering. Under the guise of urban development, Amhara populations in Addis Ababa, Harar, and Dire Dawa have faced evictions, restricted access to housing, and limited opportunities for essential services. Amhara-owned businesses have been subjected to excessive taxes and regulatory barriers, while ethnic cleansing and land redistribution have further diminished non-Oromo presence in contested regions. These coordinated efforts reflect a deliberate attempt to consolidate Oromo dominance and dismantle Ethiopia’s multi-ethnic fabric.
The annexation proposal for Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Harar represents the culmination of these exclusionary policies, driven by the ideology of Oromummaa. This expansionist agenda seeks to alter Ethiopia’s federal structure, expanding Oromia’s borders at the expense of Amhara and other communities. If left unchecked, it threatens to fracture Ethiopia’s fragile unity, exacerbating ethnic tensions and deepening divisions within the country.
The Implications of Oromo Hegemony
If this annexation agenda is allowed to progress, it will deepen Ethiopia’s already fragile ethnic divisions. Far from fostering national unity, it will exacerbate tensions, erode trust in federal institutions, and increase socio-political rifts. The aggressive pursuit of Oromo territorial expansion risks triggering widespread unrest, destabilizing not just contested cities but the entire nation.
The case for restoring the non-tribal administrative areas from the 1974 system, as advocated by Assefa Mehretu, highlights the dangers of ethnic federalism, which has entrenched division and perpetuated cycles of conflict. The Oromo regime’s exploitation of this system, coupled with constitutional mechanisms that prioritize ethnic dominance, represents an existential threat to Ethiopia’s collective identity.
As the international community continues to overlook these developments, Ethiopia edges closer to fragmentation. The annexation of Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Harar is not merely about territorial expansion it represents the dismantling of Ethiopia’s multi-ethnic fabric in favor of an exclusionary, Oromo-dominated state.
Conclusion
The Oromo regime’s annexation proposal must be recognized for what it truly is: a dangerous and arrogant step toward ethnic hegemony that undermines the principles of equality, unity, and coexistence. To preserve Ethiopia’s integrity, it is imperative to stop this government of exclusivity driven by apartheid like Oromumma ideology and reinstate inclusive governance. Ethiopia’s future must be one of unity, where the diverse identities of its people are celebrated not dismantled in the pursuit of hegemonic power.
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The unity of the Oromos has not been pressing more than ever before. The Eritrean trained and armed Amhara Fano forces have openly declared their aim of annexing Wollega. Wollega is the hub of oromo nationalism and birth place of the Oromo liberation front (OLF). The loss of Wollega will be a humiliation to the Oromos. According to the assessment of the TDF, the Amhara forces will defeat the Oromo forces and annex territory. including Finfine. Oromia is the gift of Tigray to the Oromo people and the intervntion of TDF to defend it will be imminent.
I always smile when i see your little contribution here :) TDF is out of service let alone to help other reginal gangs, i admire your wish “Greater Tigray” turn out to be the little Tigray without food after mind blowing TPLF defeat. The Amhara leaders have done some damage to the whole Ethiopians in the past while they oversaw the government, but the cancer TPLF have done and tried their best to eliminate the country itself. They got eliminated so fast and so easy, gura bechaa… even the currency they stole in billions is now soil fertilizer in some parts of Tigray since the king in charge right now changed the currency TPLF stole and accumulated for 27 years. Now you are broke my friend, you can’t do s**t
You forgot Moyale. It is also contentious. Has huge Amhara and Southern Nations and Nationalities Population. It about who to administrate not annexation.
You guys either don’t know the whole story or don’t wanna tell everything about it. The mighty army of the Empire of Oromia did not stop at Dire Dawa and Harrar. It had also taken over Jigjige two weeks ago. The president of the Somali Region, Mustafa, had fled to Oman since he is an Omani. Then the army proceeded to Somaliland where it surrendered after a fierce resistance. Hargheisa and Berbera are in the bag now. The whole region you losers used to call Ogaden is now called Ogatole. Now the Empire of Oromia stretches from the shores of the Indian Ocean to The outskirts of Asosa and from Moyale to 25 miles from Mekele. Gojjam was a cakewalk since they were originally Oromos. You remember King Tekle? He was the grandson of an Oromo chief and Tekle’s first name was Adal. Since Gojjam is now incorporated in my Oromia, I have been running the GERD Dam with my Egyptian buddies. Flawless!!!
What is the next plan for the Empire of Oromia, you may ask? It is to liberate my Oromo cousins in Eritrea. Sahos, Bilens, Bejas, Beni Amers, Agaw and Kunamas are all Oromos who are urging the indomitable and invincible army of the Empire of Oromia to go in there and liberate them. You guys don’t know diddly about my Empire of Oromia. Now you are up to snuff because I told you everything.
Do you know Emperor Haile Selassie was an Oromo? Emperor Menelik himself was 38% an Oromo. Ras and later King Mikaeel/Mohammed Ali who along with Tekle of Gojjam saved your sorry asses from Italians at Adwa was 100% Oromo. What the heck and since I’m at it, that firebrand patriot Empress Tayitu was baked and glazed 55% Barentuu Oromo. Am I genius or what!!!!! Now, not one word out of you! If not, I’m gonna come to your stinking joints in Minnesota and Toronto and incorporate you in my beloved Empire of Oromia.
Btw, I’m working on my autobiography and it will be printed in Oromiffaa, English, Bilen and Arabic. I just made the announcement and in two minutes I had 56 billion views and likes. That is more than Obama, Trump, both Bushes, Taylor Swift, NFL, NBA, NHL and NCAA combined. What can I say? I’m so genius!!!
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The writer forgets to mention that the Gurages were originally settled in an area near Addis Abeba, called Sebata in the 15 Century before the Oromos invaded the region in the 16th century and pushed the Gurages further South squeezing them into a small area than the area they controlled most of southern Shoa Province.
Historically, as the author stated, the Oromos are the latest arrival to the Ethiopian state. Given that they have no right to claim any area, but aspire for equal right like anyone else. Furtheremore, the Oromos barely contributed to the construction and the building of Addis Abeba and have no right to such claim it. Addis was built by the sweats of many Ethiopians and their taxes and it belongs to all of them.
The idea of creating an Oromo region to marganinalize others is a call for war using an illegitimate point. Nobody will let this power grab by force or any means sitting down.
People with common sense should know that the ethnic system is like a cancer; it might eat one part of your body, but it usually systematizes and eats all of it and kills you. The Oromos may think they have an advantage now, but if they don’t stop this cancer, it will eventually like the disease, it will chip away what they have now and more and it will hurt all Ethiopians and the Shimelis Abdissa’s who are pushing for this crazy power and land grab.