O-Dispatch 19-B - Oromia Rising – Lessons from Eritrea, Kosovo, and Bangladesh: What We Can Learn and What We Must Avoid

(Published as part of the “Oromia Rising: Essays on Freedom and the Future” series. Everyone is invited to contribute. Send your contributions to bantii.qixxeessaa@gmail.com.)

By Bantii Qixxeessaa

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Introduction Some say, “This is not the right time.” Others argue, “No one will support us” if we demand independence now. But history tells a different story. Nations that eventually gained independence often began with far less than we have today, less population, less recognition, and less internal unity. So what made them succeed? What mistakes did they avoid? What sacrifices did they embrace? This installment explores three powerful examples, Eritrea, Kosovo, and Bangladesh, each of which faced overwhelming odds, yet altered the course of history. Here’s what Oromia can learn from them.

Eritrea: Clarity + Persistence + Parallel Institutions

• Declared Goal: Independence, clearly and early.
• Timeframe: 30 years of armed and diplomatic struggle. Oromia’s struggle has already endured for over 50 years.
• Tools of Success:
• Built alternative governance structures in liberated zones.
• Mobilized the diaspora for funding, lobbying, and narrative building.
• Maintained unity around a single, unwavering goal.

Lesson for Oromia:

• Don’t wait for permission, build while you demand.
• Develop Oromo self-governance in parallel with the crumbling empire (as OLF-OLA is currently doing).
• Focus less on replacing rulers in Addis Ababa and more on establishing real autonomy in Finfinne.

Kosovo: Strategic Messaging + International Leverage

• Declared Goal: Independence from Serbia, framed as a human rights issue and a response to state violence.
• Timeframe: 10 years of resistance, followed by 3 years under U.N. administration before declaring independence.
• Tools of Success:
• Employed nonviolence and strategic media to build moral legitimacy.
• Framed their cause in terms of universal values, democracy, human rights, and self-determination.
• Coordinated actively with U.S. and European allies, even during occupation.

Lesson for Oromia:

• Frame our demand not only in historical or ethnic terms, but as a moral and democratic imperative.
• Make human rights violations in Oromia central to international advocacy.
• Cultivate strategic relationships with democratic governments and rights organizations.

Bangladesh: Mass Uprising + Cultural Identity + Timing

• Declared Goal: Independence from Pakistan after decades of linguistic, cultural, and economic suppression.
• Timeframe: 9 months of armed struggle following mass protests and a genocidal crackdown.
• Tools of Success:
• Asserted language and cultural identity (Bengali vs. Urdu) as a rallying point.
• Seized the moment following a crisis of legitimacy in West Pakistan.
• Aligned with India’s geopolitical interests to secure military and diplomatic backing.

Lesson for Oromia:

• Leverage the Oromo language and culture as unifying and liberating forces. They’ve brought us this far, and will carry us toward a free Oromia governed by its people.
• Be ready to seize political ruptures, such as Ethiopia’s imminent collapse or major regional shifts.
• Understand and respond to regional geopolitics, including the interests of Egypt, the Gulf, and the Horn, and align strategically.

Common Elements of Their Success

These movements shared critical traits that fueled their breakthroughs:

First, they all had a Clear Goal and Unambiguous declaration of independence, internally and externally.

Secondly, they all imagined post-independence gov’t right from the start and built Parallel Structures but to various degrees in each case.

Thirdly, in their international messaging, they Framed their demands in terms of democracy, justice, and human rights and appealed to these and other universal values.

Fourth, they ensured their diaspora was involved and played a vital role in funding, lobbying, and storytelling.

Finally, they all seized regime crises or geopolitical shifts opportunities  and took Timed and decisive action during regime/federal collapse.

Element	Common Approach
Clarity of Goal	Unambiguous declaration of independence, internally and externally.
Parallel Structures	Built or imagined post-independence governance early on.
Universal Messaging	Framed demands in terms of democracy, justice, and human rights.
Diaspora Engagement	Diaspora played a vital role in funding, lobbying, and storytelling.
Strategic Timing	Took decisive action during regime crises or geopolitical shifts.

Conclusion

The road to independence is never easy. But it becomes clearer when we learn from those who walked it before us.

• Like Eritrea, let us be bold, organized, and self-reliant.
• Like Kosovo, let us speak in the language of justice and morality the world understands.
• Like Bangladesh, let us be rooted in our identity and ready to seize the moment when it arrives.

Oromia’s path will be unique, but we do not walk it alone.