Addis Abeba — Prior to losing access to its HQ, the party also suffered the house arrest of its Chairman, Dawud Ibsa (pictured) who has been barred from performing his party duties.
The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has officially regained access to its headquarters in Finfinne (Addis Abeba), which it had been unable to use since August 2020.
The party confirmed that the handover of its premises took place in the presence of representatives from the Addis Abeba Branch of the Joint Council of Political Parties.
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The OLF expressed its appreciation to the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Joint Council for their efforts in facilitating the return of the premises. "We consider the conclusion of this long-standing effort a significant step forward," OLF said.
Oromo Liberation Front Headquarter in Addis Abeba Photo: Addis Standard Source
The party lost access to the headquarters in August 2020 after Addis Abeba police raided the premises. At the time, the late Batte Urgessa, who was serving as interim public relations officer, told Addis Standard that the party had been unable to use the office since the police took control. He explained that authorities had informed them the building was under the custody of the Addis Abeba Police Commission. "The premises were taken over by the police, and the chairman was forcibly removed. The excuse we were given was that unspecified members of the party had requested police protection for security reasons. We don't know why that translated into being denied access to our own headquarters," he said.
Prior to losing access to its HQ, the party also suffered the house arrest of its Chairman, Dawud Ibsa, who has been barred from performing his party duties following the assassination of prominent Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa on 29 June 20. Dawud was already under house arrest from 07 July, while several senior members of the party were imprisoned for years against court orders, effectively paralyzing the party.
Lemmi Gemmechu, the current Public Relations Officer of the OLF, told Addis Standard today that although the party was unable to conduct its day-to-day operations from the headquarters during its closure, it never relinquished ownership of the premises. Security personnel affiliated with the party had remained at the site throughout the period.
Lemmi added that the OLF had repeatedly raised the issue of access to the office and that other political parties - particularly the Joint Council of Political Parties, Addis Abeba Branch - had also made efforts to resolve the matter. "The joint efforts led to today's re-entry into our office, in the presence of council representatives and other stakeholders," he said.
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While welcoming the development, Lemmi stressed that the OLF is now working to reopen over 200 additional offices across the country.
"The reopening of our office is tied to a fundamental democratic right: the right to assembly. And to assemble, an office is essential," he added.
