The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) issues this strong condemnation of the Somali Regional State’s recent announcement regarding administrative restructuring plan that includes changes affecting the city of Moyale. While we recognize the importance of local governance, any adjustments to administrative boundaries must respect constitutional procedures and the outcomes of previous agreements, such as the 2004 referendum. Unilateral actions risk misunderstanding and could impact the harmony between neighboring communities.
We all remember how such provocation committed under the Abdi Illey administration, with the complicity of the former EPRDF regime, resulted in death, destruction and displacement of millions of people, which should not be allowed to be repeated. The wounds from this state-sponsored terror are still fresh, and this new plan risks reopening them with devastating consequences.
While the Oromo and Somali people are brothers and sisters who have enjoyed relative peace since then, the current unilateral move feels like a calculated provocation by the current regime. The OFC calls on the current government to cease any attempts to manufacture conflicts between brotherly peoples as a diversion from its own challenges and instead to discharge its constitutional duties.
Therefore, the OFC demands the following:
1.Immediate Rescission: The Somali regional state must immediately and unconditionally rescind this unconstitutional administrative restructuring plan, which changes the status of Oromo territories including Moyale.
2.Respect for Constitutional Process: All regional restructuring should be conducted transparently, lawfully, and with the involvement of affected communities. Any and all boundary issues must be resolved through the legal and constitutional procedures founded on mutual consent, not by unilateral decree. The 2004 referendum was a definitive expression of this constitutional principle, and its results must be the uncontested basis for the boundary.
3.Continued Solidarity: The historical ties between the Oromo and Somali peoples are strong. We call on all sides to maintain this spirit of cooperation. We appeal to our Somali brothers and sisters to reject this divisive agenda being pushed by their regional leadership. Let us honor our shared history and the peace we have built by refusing to be drawn into manufactured conflicts.
4.Responsible Leadership: We urge the Federal and Oromia, governments to break their dangerous silence. Their constitutional duty is clear: condemn this threat, protect our territorial integrity, and act decisively to prevent conflict. They must engage the Somali Regional Government constructively to prevent unnecessary tensions. Inaction is complicity.
5.Peaceful Response: We urge the Oromo people to remain united, vigilant, and resolute in the face of this direct threat. Our response must be channeled through peaceful, disciplined, and lawful avenues to defend our land and constitutional rights. Our unity is the ultimate safeguard against this any divisive and expansionist agenda.
OFC remains committed to supporting solutions grounded in dialogue, mutual respect, and the rule of law.
Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC)
Finfinnee, Oromia, Ethiopia,
29 July, 2025
