Groups say forming democratic government is ultimate goal of struggle

By Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (September 8, 2016)

The Oromo Democratic Front (ODF) and Patriotic Ginbot 7 for Unity and Democracy (PG7) said on Thursday that removing the tyrannical regime and replacing it with a democratic government is the ultimate goal of the ongoing struggle by the Ethiopian people.

The parties said in a joint statement that there was no other option for the Ethiopian people than strengthening the struggle against the iron fist regime and replace it with an all-inclusive government.

The statement recalled the killings perpetrated against political prisoners in Qilinto prison last week, calling it an act of cruelty. It said the vicious killings in Qilinto was the latest in a series of crimes committed by the regime against the people it claimed to represent. That act, the statement said, should galvanize the people to accelerate their struggle against the ruthless regime.

The statement said the regime has been pitting the people against each other for the last 25 years to stay in power, but the people in the Oromo and Amhara regions have, in recent protests, shown solidarity rejecting the divisive policies of the autocratic regime.

The two parties said it was high time that other Ethiopian opposition groups came together and join the struggle launched by the people to remove tyranny once and for all.

ODF and PG7 announced last month that they have formed an alliance to move the struggle to the next level and bring other parties under one umbrella.