O-Dispatch 19-D – Oromia Rising - Reiterating The Case for Independence: Justice, Peace, Stability, and Development

(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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Independence is not an escape. It is a solution, a foundation for justice, a path to peace, and a chance to build a stable and prosperous future.  In earlier installments, Oromia Rising 19-A and 19-B, I established the failure of Ethiopian federalism and the urgent need for clarity of purpose, while 19-C rebutted the most common objections to independence and the demand for independence now. The next logical step in Oromia Rising 19-D is to address—or rather, to reiterate—what an independent Oromia would actually offer its people, and how it would lead to meaningful, positive change.

In this installment, I turn to the heart of the matter: Why is independence good for Oromia? What does it offer that continued union with the Ethiopian empire does not? These questions have been explored in some of my earlier writings, but I return to them now to reaffirm the case—clearly, boldly, and with continued conviction.

So, why is independence good for Oromia? What does it offer that continued union with the Ethiopian empire does not?

The answer is simple: independence is not just desirable, it is necessary. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity for survival, dignity, and progress. For Oromia, it is the only viable path to justice, peace, stability, and development because remaining within the Ethiopian state has meant enduring systemic violence, economic exploitation, and political exclusion. Decades of attempts at reform, federation, and political compromise have failed to protect Oromo lives, restore Oromo dignity, or build institutions that serve the people. Remaining within the Ethiopian state has meant enduring systemic violence, economic exploitation, and political exclusion. Every promise of inclusion has ended in betrayal.

Only through full sovereignty can Oromia build a justice system rooted in its values, ensure peace through self-determined security, construct stable and accountable institutions, and direct its vast resources toward the development of its own people. Without the power to govern itself, Oromia will remain at the mercy of a collapsing empire.

Independence is not a luxury, it is a necessity for survival, dignity, and progress.

Once again, why is independence good for Oromia? What does it offer that continued union with the Ethiopian empire does not?

 

1.      Justice: Ending the Cycle of Repression and Impunity

For over a century, Oromo lives have been treated as disposable—massacred without accountability, imprisoned without due process, and silenced without cause. From the Minilik invasions to the killings of Hachalu Hundessa and Batte Urgessa, the Ethiopian state has never delivered justice to the Oromo people. An independent Oromia would allow us to:

 

·         Build a justice system rooted in our values and traditions

·         Investigate and memorialize past atrocities

·         Hold perpetrators accountable—no matter how powerful

·         Guarantee equal protection under the law for all our people

 

Without sovereignty, there is no justice. And without justice, there can be no peace.

 

2.      Peace: Security Through Consent, Not Coercion

Oromia today is a war zone—its people under occupation, its youth hunted, its towns patrolled by foreign command. Ethiopia has no viable model for peaceful coexistence; it rules through force, not legitimacy. Independence would enable:

 

·         Demilitarization of our communities

·         Local control of our security forces

·         Peace agreements rooted in mutual respect, not imperial dictates

·         An end to internal colonialism and the violence it breeds

 

True peace is not the absence of war—it is the presence of freedom.

 

3.      Stability: Building Institutions That Serve the People

The Ethiopian state is unraveling—corruption, coups, civil war, and constitutional collapse have become the norm. Oromia’s fate should not be tied to a sinking ship. An independent Oromia would allow us to:

 

·         Design a system of governance based on Gadaa and democratic principles

·         Build institutions accountable to our people, not to an imperial center

·         Create a stable political culture that values service, transparency, and civic duty

·         Prevent future tyrannies by embedding checks, balances, and citizen participation

 

Stability comes from self-rule—not imposed order.

 

4.      Development: Investing in Oromia, for Oromians

Oromia is rich in land, water, minerals, and human potential. Yet its people remain poor—its economy drained to serve the empire. Roads are built to extract, not connect. Cities grow by feeding on rural Oromia as inequality deepens. Independence would mean:

 

·         Controlling and reinvesting our own resources

·         Designing development plans around Oromo needs and priorities

·         Supporting agriculture, education, health, and innovation tailored to our context

·         Ending economic dependency on hostile forces that loot more than they build

 

Development is not a gift from the empire, it is a right we must secure through freedom.

 

5.      Dignity: The Right to Be Ourselves, Freely

To be Oromo in the empire has always meant to be second-class. Our language, history, names, and heroes have been erased, distorted, or suppressed. Even today, we must ask permission to speak, to learn, to live as ourselves. With independence, we gain:

 

·         Full cultural and linguistic rights

·         An education system grounded in Oromo heritage

·         The power to celebrate and elevate our identity without fear

·         The right to define ourselves—not be defined by others

 

Independence is the restoration of our dignity. Nothing less will suffice.

Conclusion: A Better Future Is Possible, But Not Inside the Empire

We are told to be patient. To accept reform. To place our trust in a collapsing system that has failed us time and again.

But we have learned the hard truths:

1. Empires do not reform. They decay.
2. Justice does not descend from above. It must be built from within.
3. Peace does not come through submission. It comes through sovereignty.
4. Stability does not grow from chaos. It grows from clarity of purpose.
5. Development does not trickle down. It rises when a people stand tall and free.

And we now declare, without hesitation:

6. Oromia has waited long enough.
7. We do not seek independence to punish others, but to heal ourselves.
8. We do not seek revenge. We seek responsibility.
9. We are not fleeing from Ethiopia. We are rising for Oromia.
10. Independence is not the end of the road—it is the beginning of a better one.

Let us walk that road—together, and with courage.