The Oromo Liberation Front has been shaken by the recent killing of 40 of its members near the Kenyan border. Dissension between factions supporting the old OLF leadership of Gelasa Dilbo and Lencho Leta and those who back the new leadership also appears to have undermined the group’s strength. Observers of the situation claim that the former leaders were planning to set up a dialogue with the Ethiopian government to discuss the possibility of OLF ruling Oromia as part of a federal system. The OLF has been waging a war for the independence of Oromia against the Wayyane regime since 1973, and has recently declared it intention to intensify its military activities.
