It is with great sense of loss and sadness that we issue this statement on the
untimely passing of Obboo Sisai Ibssa on 20th of August 2005.
Date: August 22, 2005
It is with great sense of loss and sadness that we issue this statement on the
untimely passing of Obboo Sisai Ibssa on 20th of August 2005.
Sisai Ibssa was a revolutionary giant who devoted most of his life to the cause of the Oromo people for freedom and justice. He started his political life in late 1960s when he joined what was then popularly known as the Ethiopian Student Movement in Europe and North America. Until early 1970s, he played a pivotal role in demystifying the mythical Ethiopian political system and painting its realistic picture for the world to witness. He challenged his peers within the movement to expose the decadent Ethiopian political order that shackled the political, economic, and social development of the Oromo and other oppressed southern nations in the Ethiopian empire. He was among the few who genuinely ventured to address issues that remained taboo in the Ethiopian political circles. The core issue that was close to his heart that he passionately and persistently dealt with at the time was one that pertained to the right of self-determination for the disenfranchised nations in the empire. For the student body that came from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds this was the most contentious issue of the time. He vigorously and relentlessly argued for the emancipation of the Oromo and other oppressed nations trapped within the empire. However, elements within the student movement who realized the far-reaching implication of his argument lined in opposition and hardly offered anything by way of a solution to redress the historical political injustices of the Ethiopian state but just prescribed what amounts to keeping the status quo. This situation had created a major political fault in the student movement. At the end, the rift escalated to a degree that forced Sisai Ibssa to seek other venues to continue struggling for the cause of the Oromo nation.
Devoted as he was for the cause of his people, Sisai joined the camp of the Oromo national liberation movement that was at the insipient stage in the early 1970s. Since then he had contributed immeasurably towards the advancement of the Oromo Liberation struggle.
Until his death, through out the period that spanned over 30 years, Sisai had committed his full heart and mind, his time, and his resources to advance the cause of the Oromo national struggle. He had campaigned extensively in exposing the nature of the Ethiopian state and in publicizing the predicament of the Oromo nation.
In order to launch an organized campaign against the Ethiopian political establishment, Sisai Ibssa had spearheaded the formation of various vehicles that suit the success of the campaign. One of such vehicles that he aspired to create was an independent Oromo organization in North America. Convinced in having such an organization, he embarked on searching and wining the heart and mind of Oromo nationals across North America so that they would buy into his ideal. He successfully rallied Oromo nationalists around his ideal and formed the Union of Oromos in North America (UONA).
As a founding member of UONA and an active leader in this organization, his contribution was magnificent. He effectively used the organization to enlighten the international community, particularly the North American community, about the Oromo nation. He was instrumental in leading his fellow members of the organization in the campaign of exposing the Ethiopian empire state as colonial state that abused the inalienable basic rights of the Oromo as individuals and as a nation. As a prolific writer, through the organ of the organization, he made every effort in portraying how the Oromo nation languishes under the most archaic colonial state that is hardly known to the world. His extensive writing on the beauty of the Oromo cultural heritage and the democratic system of government, Gada, has augmented the existing wealth of knowledge on the Oromo culture and socio-political system. His work in UONA, apart from retracting the Oromo identity and culture from obscurity, had raised the political consciousness of our fellow Oromos and engaged them to actively participate in the national struggle for liberation.
With the growing participation of Oromos both in the Diaspora and at home in the liberation movement, the political dynamics began picking up substantially. However, with this dynamic came diverse views and political persuasions on the course the liberation struggle should assume. As a result, Oromo political organizations proliferated for one reason or another and began working on their respective line of convictions. For Sisai Ibssa, this political development within our society became an issue of serious concern. To reverse this trend, the trend of Oromo organizations claiming to stand for one cause but working in secluded corners and lacking coordinated efforts, he advocated for the unity of purpose. His incessant effort in this front brought some political forces together in the late 1990s. As a result, this initial phase of his unification crusade brought about the formation of the Oromiyaa Liberation Council (OLC).
Within the OLC also Sisai played a critical role. He provided seasoned leadership. He set out the vision of the organization and the role it should play within the camp of the Oromo national liberation struggle. He prescribed that the OLC must have an ideological clarity for the struggle and be a voice of unity of liberation forces. Sisai devoted his remaining political life working on what he proposed that the organization carry out. As a visionary leader, at a time when there is a sense of uncertainty on the path our liberation struggle should take, he had articulated the Oromo national question and laid down the ideological foundation on which the Oromo liberation struggle should be anchored. Sisai shared his conviction on the sole ideological line that sets the Oromo nation free from the Ethiopian colonial bondage.
He passionately and convincingly argued at every opportune moment that bilisummaa could be within reach only when all political forces struggling for the cause of our people are united in purpose. Not only making a case for this issue, he had invested a tremendous effort for the realization of the unity. To the delight and much to the credit of Sisai, all forces came together and formed the United Oromo Liberation Forces (ULFO) in the year 2000. Such a grandiose contribution to this noble cause of liberation and his subsequent role as the spokesperson of ULFO has earned him a great respect and admiration from our compatriots.
Outside his organizationaal duties, Sisai actively participated in promoting civic organizations, Oromo communities, and academic associations. He was one of the prominent founding members and active participant of the Oromo Studies Association (OSA). The creation and development of an Oromo Institution for Information and Scholarship was his last dream project. He had started it but unfortunately never got a chance to get it finished.
We looked up to Obboo Sisai Ibssa as a charismatic, visionary, and great leader, a father of our unity and a mentor. Sisai is a hero who stood up firmly and resolutely for the liberation of the Oromo people and struggled tirelessly until his last breath. Sisai is and remains our role model. His sudden death is a shock for his relatives, personal friends, compatriots and comrades. We lost our dear leader and the Oromo People lost one of its best and finest statesmen at this critical juncture in our struggle. We promise to carry on to the end his banner and mission: the liberation of the Oromo people and the establishment of a democratic Oromiyaa based on Gadaa.
To honour his life time contribution to the Oromo national struggle and pay respect, funeral service will be held this coming Saturday, the 27th of August, in Washington D.C. His burial will take place in Oromiyaa the following week.
Information regarding the venue and the schedule of the service in Washington D.C. is posted on Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa Website.
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