Dawud Ibsaa Ayana is an Ethiopian politician who is the chairman of the

Oromo Liberation Front The Oromo Liberation Front ( om, Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo, abbreviated: ABO; English abbreviation: OLF) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed in 1973 to promote self-determination for the Oromo people inhabiting today's Oromia Region and ...

, an Ethiopian political party established in 1973.

Education

Ayana attended the

Haile Selassie I University Haile ( Ge'ez "the power of") may refer to: ;People with the given name Haile * Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1892–1975), Emperor of Ethiopia * Haile Gerima (born 1946), Ethiopian filmmaker * Haile Gebrselassie (born 1973), Ethiopian distance runne ...

in 1970-1971, and participated in the student movement against

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

. He joined the Association of Oromo University Students. 1974-1976 he participated in the '' Zemecha'' campaign. In 1977, Dawud was elected to the OLF Central Committee. From October 1977 to December 1979, he was imprisoned by the

Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

. He returned to

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

during the 1979-1980 academic year. Dawud fled to

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

in 1980 and joined an OLF unit operating from that country, before finishing his studies in statistics. He received basic military training in

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

a few months later. In April 1981, Dawud commanded the OLF unit that started the armed struggle in Welega Province.

Work

The Derg poisoned Ayana in December 1981, and tortured him for several months. He was jailed without charge at

Kerchele Prison Alem Bekagn ( am, አለም በቃኝ, "Farewell to the World"), or 'Kerchele Prison', was a central prison in Ethiopia until 2004. Located in Addis Ababa, the prison possibly existed as early as 1923, under the reign of Empress Zewditu, but beca ...

during the period of August 1982 to December 1986. Dawud escaped from jail and rejoined the OLF. In 1988 he was re-elected to the OLF Central Committee and Executive Committee, and headed the OLF military department until 1991. In 1998, he was re-elected to the OLF Executive committee and became the group's chairman in 1999. Dawud told '' Les nouvelles d’Addis'' on 29 March 2006 that he was confident that the OLF would form the next government in Ethiopia, a speech which motivated many nationalist Oromo diasporas.

References

External links

Interview with Dawud Ibsa Ayana on Harowo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibsa Ayana, Dawud Addis Ababa University alumni Living people Oromo Liberation Front politicians Ethiopian escapees Escapees from Ethiopian detention 1952 births