The agreement was signed by the president of that state, Shimelis Abdisa, and the former leader of the OLA, Jaal Senay Negasa, before Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, reported the Ethiopia News Agency.

Jula thanked the parties involved for having accepted the call for peace and expressed that those who add fuel to war, more than the warriors themselves, are those who are unaware of the conflict’s ins and outs.

“Based on my experience, war is harmful and those who have chosen the path of peace should be commended,” he added, further revealing that similar actions of peace will continue in other areas of conflict.

Abdisa, for his part, expressed gratitude to the defense forces for their contribution to the agreement, while Negasa considered this step as a great relief for the Oromo people.

The former OLA leader commented that human beings have political differences in this world and, instead of trying to resolve them with weapons, those signing the agreement have decided to find common ground in a civilized manner.

The Shene group, a faction formed within OLA claiming alleged autonomy since 2018, is accused of perpetrating massacres, staging sabotage actions, destroying infrastructure andan array of other crimes.

Accordingly, Shen was declared a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives (Parliament) in May 2021.

ied/oda/nmr