Political Violence and Democratic Uncertainty in Ethiopia
United States Institute of Peace - August 2007
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A Special Report sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) asserts that the Oromo people are "significantly underrepresented" even though they are the largest constituents in Ethiopia and are subjected to political harassment by State security forces.
"With the OLF now banned, Oromo citizens have few alternative channels to influence Ethiopian politics. State security forces have repeatedly harassed and subjected them to increasing political violence over the past fifteen years. Although rural Oromo voters are by far the largest bloc of voters, their aspirations and concerns were significantly underrepresented in the 2005 election. With only the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and the Oromo National Congress (ONC) taking up their political concerns, including harsh local administration in rural areas, Oromo concerns continued to be ignored. And the political crisis following the elections has been primarily an EPRDF-CUD dispute, reflecting both parties’ lack of concern about Oromo issues" ...