OLF Chairman former Ethiopian Army General Kemal Gelchu (Photo: Shabait)

In an interview with Eritrean-TV Thursday night, General Gelchu, who arrived in Eritrea along with hundreds of soldiers opposed to the repressive TPLF rule, said their arrival in Eritrea was to enhance the popular uprising by the entire Ethiopian people and members of the armed forces to build a country where the rule of law, democracy and justice reign supreme.

He pointed out that the Ethiopian army 's peaceful call for an end to TPLF atrocities had fallen on deaf ears. The TPLF is the dominant party in the so-called ruling coalition EPRDF.

He said the TPLF regime has subjected the Ethiopian people’s struggle for democracy and justice to its vested interest, and is working to ensure its complete dominance of the political, economic and military sectors. General Kemal Gelchu said the ruling party that was defeated at the May 2005 polls and had committed atrocities against peaceful civilians has no interest whatsoever to hand over power by peaceful means.

As the struggle they made inside the army has become a failure, Brig. General Kemal explained that they have decided to abandon the regime and join the people’s struggle and thereby form an organization that would respect the rights of all Ethiopian nationals.

Given the huge size of the Oromo population and the rich resources as their disposal, TPLF considers considers the Oromo people as a major threat because of its morbid desire to control the resources while keeping the people under the yoke of national repression.

General Kemal said Oromo members who question the human rights issues are subject to TPLF impisonment and torutre. He said their primary objective would be to break the chains of repression that have tied the Oromo people.

He described the TPLF leadership as a "Mafia mob."

General Kemal called on all Ethiopians to reinforce the struggle for a united and integrated Ethiopia as all Ethiopian nationals have paid their lives for the same cause.

In a Press release, the Oromo Liberation Front said “General Kemal Gelchu and Colonel Abebe have joined the Oromo liberation struggle along with full military armaments under their controls."