Some 800 breakaway members of the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) Wednesday surrendered to Ethiopia’s Oromia regional government.
This follows Sunday’s peace deal with a splinter faction led by former Central Zone commander Sagni Nagasa.
The Oromia Communication Bureau in a statement to APA said the fighters who are estranged from the OLA central command have begun “entering designated camps”.
APA sources can confirmed the entry of hundreds of them in different camps designated for their demobilisation.
However, the OLA on Tuesday released an official statement via its social media page, dismissing the “peace deal” as a political manoeuvre.
It argued that those involved in the agreement had already been dismissed from the OLA “for actively undermining the organisation and have no role in OLA”.
The statement called the deal a continuation of earlier failed peace attempts, including negotiations in Tanzania, describing it as “Orwellian doublespeak—a thinly veiled ploy to co-opt the OLA leadership with hollow promises of power while continuing to undermine the legitimate demands” of the Oromo people.
Details of the agreement, signed on December 3 by Shimelis Abdissa, president of the Oromia region, and Sagni Nagasa, have not been made public.
Previously, Sagni Nagasa announced that his faction no longer operated under the OLA, accusing its leader, Kumsa Diriba (also known as Jaal Marroo), of authoritarianism.
He expressed willingness to engage in further talks with the government.
It’s not the first time that the surrender of Oromo fighters has been reported.
Last year 155 suspected Orom rebels surrendered to federal troops, according to the Ethiopian army.
MG/as/APA