To the Honorable Tim Walz

Governor of Minnesota

1006 Summit Ave, St Paul, MN 55105

July 8, 2020

Dear Governor Waltz,

We are writing to you this letter as concerned Ethiopians and US citizens of Ethiopian origin. 

Oromia Media Network (OMN) is a news media headquartered in your state -Minnesota (1144 Larpenteur Ave. W. St Paul, MN 55113). The media was established by Jawar Mohammed (a man who has no religious conviction but is determined to use Muslim extremist ideals to get to power while disguising himself as an Oromo activist).

When Ethiopia was under an ethnocentric dictatorial regime ruled by the TPLF (Tigrian Liberation Front), Jawar Mohammed has used his activism to push for enticing conflict between Christians and Muslims of Ethiopian Oromo region while at the same time using his media for exposing the cruel TPLF regime’s unfair treatment of the Oromo (which gave him popularity among some Oromo youth in Ethiopia).

About two years ago, the TPLF was forced to relinquish power, and the current prime minister Abiy Ahmed and his group who have led the struggle from within the regime took power. Since assuming power, despite so many obstacles and setbacks, Prime Minister Abiy and his cabinet are working hard towards the democratization of the country by allowing democratic institutions to flourish, including an independent election commission and an independent human right’s commission.

When Abiy invited opposition groups to return and participate in the democratic process. Jawar Mohammed took that opportunity, went home determined to use his popularity and take over the government by any means. In a despicable political move, he joined forces with the TPLF to play the only game they know, which is inciting ethnic and religious division. To achieve that, the OMN headquartered in your state has been used as the primary propaganda machine.

Within the past two-years, Jawar Mohammed has attempted to failed coup d’état against Abiy Ahmed using ethnic and religious cleansing as a weapon. The first attempt was carried on October 20, 2019, when Jawar told his followers that his guards are being removed by government forces basically asking for protection. His supporters armed with his hateful messages and his rhetoric killed people whom they called outsiders and burned Churches. That day close to eighty-six innocent Ethiopians including women and children were killed. Among the dead were also two pastors who were beheaded.

Jawar Mohammed’s second attempt took place recently, on June 29, 2020, when a young and popular singer “Hachalu Hundessa” an ardent critic of the former TPLF regime was assassinated in Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia). The heinous killings are believed to have been plotted by the TPLF leaders and Oromo extremists including Jawar to incite violence. The same day OMN was telling Oromo youth to revolt against Neftegna (a term used to describe riflemen mostly from the Amhara ethnic group). The OMN and its crony guests went on further elaborating how the act was equivalent to the killing of all Oromos. By spreading that type of rhetoric, OMN was clearly calling for ethnic cleansing designed to benefit their power-thirsty boss in Ethiopia. This time more than two hundred innocent people were killed by his radical supporters.  

As the governor of the state, you have the power to do an independent investigation on this matter to prevent such genocide from being planned and propagated from your state. As US citizens, we are asking you to deny Jawar Mohammed and his media (OMN) using your state as headquarters to spread hate and incite genocide in Ethiopia. 

We ask you to please remember what happened in Rwanda in 1994, we have witnessed how hateful speeches loaded with intentional name callings have resulted in one of the worst genocides in history. We strongly believe that OMN as a media is executing a well-planned action of enticing conflict and destroy a nation where Muslims and Christians coexisted peacefully for centuries throughout Ethiopia. 

Sincerely, 

Ethiopians and US citizens of Ethiopian origin