Ayyaantuu
The Oromo agony never ends even outside of their birth place. Thousands of Oromo have perished in the seas of Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, while running away from the Ethiopian regime’s brutal forces. Many more became victims of wild animals and thousands died of hunger and thirst in the deserts they had never visited before and in their own villages. The Oromo never had experienced such mass exodus from their own land.
The UNHCR has also given a deaf ear to the Oromo plight. Many are languishing in neighboring countries like Somalia, the Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, etc. The world simply watches at the skeletal images of Oromo refugees in Yemen in an open air where the temperature goes well over 100 F.
The picture below is an example of desperate move by Oromo asylum seekers in Egypt. An Oromo girl, named Aslii Nuuree, set herself on fire, on July 26, 2016, in front of the UNHCR in Cairo for being denied the internationally accepted protection. This is a very sad moment not only for the Oromo around the world, but also it is a blow to all human right activists. The UNHCR is responsible for collaborating with the Ethiopian regime in such harsh treatment of refugees.
One thing, as Oromo, we should underline is that the international community does not care about us any more. It is high time that we have to solve our own problem by our own effort and unity. It is time to set aside bickering, being manipulated by outsiders and being agents for our enemy. It is time to work in unison to bring a lasting solution to this endless human crime which the world does not care about.
This is a burial ceremony of Asli Nure in Cairo, on July 28, 2016. She fatally burned herself on July 26, 2016, in front of UNHCR for being denied protection. RIP
Oromo refuges in Yemeni desert