A Profile of Jaal Marroo: The Leader of Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Army

A Profile of Jaal Marroo: The Leader of Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Army

Jaal Marroo is the nom de guerre of Kumsa Diriba, who currently commands the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Marroo has been a commander in the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) since at least 2016, when he oversaw an OLF-led offensive in western sections of the state of Oromia. Since 2016, Marroo’s reputation as a leader and commander has resulted in his consolidation of control over the OLA and the  group’s transition into a more formidable insurgent organization.

The OLA’s Leadership Structure in Oromia

The OLA broke away from the OLF in 2018  in part due to the OLF’s support for the peace agreement with the Ethiopian government. According to this agreement, the OLF agreed to demilitarize and enter the national political process (The Reporter, August 11, 2018). The relationship between the adversarial organizations remains ambiguous and reflects the divisions within the OLF.

Marroo’s leadership on and off the battlefield has played a key role in the formation and growth of the OLA. Since early this year, the OLA, along with its nominal ally, the Tigrayan Defense Forces (TDF), has intensified its military operations against forces loyal to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Addis Standard, August 13, 2021). In response, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and allied militias have stepped up their own, often indiscriminate, attacks on targets within the regional state of Oromia (Addis Standard, December 3, 2021). Similarly, the OLA is also accused of launching retaliatory attacks along ethnic lines (Al-Jazeera, August 26, 2021).

The Oromo are Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, making up more than 34% of Ethiopia’s population of 120 million. The state of Oromia is also the largest of the Ethiopian states and surrounds the country’s capital of Addis Ababa (known as Finfinne to the Oromo). The OLF, which was founded in 1973, is dedicated to defending and promoting self-determination for the Oromo people. Following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rise to power in 2018, leaders of the OLF were brought into the political process after signing a peace agreement with the government. Marroo and other leaders within the OLA refused disarmament and vowed to continue the fight for an autonomous Oromia.

While well organized, the OLA’s leadership structure is purposefully decentralized. This is partly a reflection of cultural norms in Oromia and also a way to combat government efforts to kill or capture key leaders. The OLA also has a limited electronic footprint, is highly mobile, and operates in a densely forested territory which it knows well.  [1] Thus, despite attempts to target Marroo, he routinely appears in villages and at encampments to deliver speeches to both soldiers and civilians. [2]

Maroo from Student Activist to Fighter

Marroo was educated at Addis Ababa University and has been active with the OLF, and now OLA, since his days as a student. He was arrested in 2003 for taking part in student-led protests against the government. Following his arrest and release, Marroo joined an underground Oromo youth movement.

After the movement’s primary organizers were arrested, Marroo fled to the Borena zone in southern Oromia. There he received military training and began working his way up the ranks of the military wing of the OLF. After a 2008 government offensive against the armed wing of the OLF, Marroo escaped to Uganda. There, Ethiopian intelligence tracked him and tried to force the state government to extradite him. Instead, Marroo served a short prison sentence in Uganda (The Africa Report, November 11, 2021).

The next stop for Marroo after Uganda was a brief exile in Eritrea, which hosted numerous anti-government groups, including the OLF. In 2010 or possibly 2011, Marroo returned to Oromia where he again led fighters. The period between 2012 and 2018 saw rapid growth of the armed wing of the OLF. This was partly in response to increased pressure, both military and political, from the government.

It is unclear how much of a role Marroo played during this period. However, given that he is a charismatic speaker and  a clear survivor, it is likely that he played a significant part in reorganizing and revitalizing the armed wing of the OLF. Marroo and other senior commanders within what would become the OLA took advantage of internal splits within the OLF to consolidate their control of militias.

These militias operated under the umbrella of the OLF and were often subject to the whims of local commanders. Marroo and other senior leaders introduced a more structured chain of command and greater coordination between armed groups. Marroo, possibly as a result of training received in Eritrea, also introduced more formalized military and political education for recruits and existing members of the OLA. [3]

The OLA’s Outlook Beyond Marroo

The OLA, which currently controls large swaths of territory northwest and west of Addis Ababa, has become a formidable rebel force. While the OLA does not possess the heavy weaponry of the TDF or its formal military training, it is well suited to the cultural and physical terrain in which it is fighting. The Ethiopian government has been forced to devote more and more military resources to Oromia in an attempt to counter the OLA’s hit and run attacks. These efforts to combat the OLA are likely to be disrupted by the vast terrain, growing public anger over government attacks, and charismatic leaders like Marroo. While Marroo has undoubtedly played a significant role in the formation and growth of the OLA, the current war will produce many more leaders and fighters like Marroo as it continues.

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