The following is a statement from the Oromo Youth Self-Help Association.
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Dear Oromos in Washington DC and surrounding areas, all the way to Boston, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, members and leaders of Oromo Community Organization of Washington, DC, Oromo Studies Association (OSA), Oromo Center, International Oromo Women’s Organization (IOWO), Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA), Oromia Support Group (OSG) as well as Ayyaantuu.com, Gadaa.com, GulelePost.com, OromoPress, Opride.com, Qerroo.com, Oromia TV, Radio Afuura Biyyaa (RAB), Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromo (SBO), Radio Simbirtuu, Seife Nebelbal Radio, and VOA staff and members.
The Oromo Youth Self-Help Association would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for your unreserved and energizing efforts to the attainment of our August 2, 2013 colorful peaceful demonstration here in Washington, DC, and the candlelight vigil honoring the lives of our hero, Tesfahun Chemeda, and our brothers and sisters in Kofale, Arsi, who were all murdered by TPLF forces.
As a youth association, OYSA has been vigorously working on empowering the Oromo youth and trying to connect the new Oromo generation with our Oromo people here in the Diaspora and back home in Oromia. We have been participating in our community’s events and meetings in order to get acquainted with our community in Washington, DC, area. To this effect, we managed to successfully conduct two colorful protests in Washington DC on January 25, 2013 and August 02, 2013 in which the youth, along with our elders, voiced the agony of Oromo prisoners, Oromo farmers, students, and in general the misery of our people in Oromia to the world community.
These are a fraction of what Oromo youth should do for its people/community, particularly, when a given society is under a yolk of occupation/colony with a multitude of untold and endless subjugation, oppression, killing, detention, displacement, torture and living a life not worth living.
As we are witnessing again, the TPLF is out killing our innocent people, including those who are already under its captivity. The contempt they have for the Oromo people was demonstrated in its ugliest form when a prison officer laughed at the killing of Tesfahun Chemeda in a public interview.
OYSA would like to assure our people that we will do our best to alleviate the century long misery of our people in a systematic and action oriented way. In the meantime, we would like, once again, to pay our gratitude and respect for the heroes and heroines who have sacrificed their all, and taught us the path and price of freedom.
We would like your inputs and suggestions on what we can do as a youth organization in Diaspora to raise awareness of the never-ending suffering of our people. Please also help us achieve our effort of creating an International Oromo Youth Network to mobilize our youth throughout the world for the respect of human rights and attainment of our just cause.
Executive Committee of OYSA