“Change in Addis Ababa Was Started Five Years Ago”, Says Adanech Abiebie

December 11, 2022

Addis Ababa Mayor continues to portray resistance to language, anthem and flag imposition as an attempt by some groups to create confusion  

Addis Ababa Mayor, Adanech Abiebie, during the meeting (Photo: public domain)

Borkena 

Days after Addis Ababa police issued a statement announcing the arrest of about 97 students and teachers from some schools in Addis Ababa – which it linked to “violence” -, Adanech Abiebie on Sunday said she had a “fruitful discussion with residents of the city from all walks of life.

“Today we have openly discussed security disruption activities in some schools in our city in connection with the Oromia region flag and anthem,” Adanech Abiebie said in her status update. 

There is also a move to teach the Oromo language in schools.  Adanech Abiebei says the policy was started five years ago. 

She says we (“residents of Addis Ababa” and her administration) have reached a point of consensus that the move by “some groups: to portray it [ changing the language of instruction, national anthem and flag] as if it is started now and as an effort to impose a region’s flag and anthem, to create confusion, is incorrect. 

In fact, it is not just “some groups.” Some legally registered political parties, some of whom work with the government, have vehemently condemned the move. 

From the perspective of Opposition parties (like EZEMA and NaMA – among others) Oromia region’s attempt to impose its flag and anthem on schools in Addis Ababa is unacceptable. The organizations openly criticized radical nationalist groups within Abiy Ahmed’s federal government, Oromia regional state and Addis Ababa administration for a concerted effort to impose a regional flag in Addis Ababa and segregate school children on the basis of language as unacceptable.  

Police, like the mayor, linked the resistance movement to what many say is an attempt to impose the Oromia region flag and anthem on schools (elementary and high school) in Addis Ababa to a radical group’s movement to make Addis Ababa a center of violence – an allegation that the opposition is not accepting. 

Apart from attempts to impose language and flag on Addis Ababa students, the Oromo regional state (it has trained over 200,000 special forces) is also criticized over the non-stop massacre of ethnic Amhara civilians in the Oromo region of Ethiopia for about four years now.

The regional government has long been saying that it has weakened the OLF-Shane group to the point that it no longer poses a security threat. There was a point whereby the Federal government itself made similar claims. The reality on the ground is that the militant group is now extensively operating in the Oromia region including within a radius of 100 kilometers outside of Addis Ababa. 

In addition to clandestine operatives within different government structures, the Shane group is said to have cells in the capital Addis Ababa as well.