The Oromo Liberation Army has announced that the head of government of the Oromia region, president Shimelis Abdisa, signed a peace agreement on December 1, 2024, with leadership that had been expelled months ago for misconduct.

The Oromia Regional Government confirmed that Jal Segni Negasa, a member of the Executive Committee of the Oromo Liberation Army and former commander of the Central Zone, accepted the government’s call for peace and signed an agreement.

The Oromo liberation Army stated that the information being provided by the government that as they have defected from the Oromo Liberation Army is completely false and criticized that the statement is a deception by the government in order to control the people’s psyche.

It is remembered that the state media announced that the head of government of Oromia region, Mr. Shimelis Abdisa, signed a peace agreement yesterday, December 1, 2024, between Jal Sengni Negasa, who was a senior leader of the Oromo Liberation Army.

During the signing ceremony, President Shimelis said, “Thank you on behalf of the state government for coming to accept the call of the Oromo people for peace according to their culture.” President Shimeles also thanked the Ethiopian National Defense Forces for their contribution to the peace agreement.

During the signing ceremony, the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Forces, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula thanked those who accepted the call for peace.

The Ethiopian National Defense Force chief of general staff Field Marshal Birhanu Jula also stated that ”those who do not understand war are worse than warrior themselves. In my experience, war is destructive, so those who choose the path of peace should be commended.”

In a statement released on the evening of December 1, 2024, the Oromo Liberation Army announced that certain leaders who had been expelled from the army by misconduct had falsely claimed to defect and negotiated a peace deal.

The Oromo Liberation Army also mentioned in its statement that it had assembled members who were expelled months ago and invited media outlets like VOA and BBC to report as if they had defected from the army, but this did not receive any attention. stated

OLA has claimed that the state government is deceiving the public by announcing the formation of a peace agreement with these entities. The Oromo Liberation Army also condemned the state government for subsequently announcing peace talks with these individuals, calling it a misguided attempt to divert public attention.

The Oromo Liberation Army criticized the government’s inability to acknowledge the true situation on the ground.