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Until the last quarter of the 19th century, the Oromo people had been an
independent nation. As a sovereign nation, they had developed and used a unique
democratic system known as Gada. This system being ubiquitous across the
Oromo land had influenced and guided the way of life of the nation in
political, economic, and social arenas. It guaranteed respect for political
rights, equal economic opportunity, and full participation in all spheres of
social milieu for every citizen. As a result, the Oromo people had been among
the well-organized and led community of nations that enjoyed freedom, peace,
and prosperity for several centuries.
However, by the turn of the 20th century, the Oromo nation lost its
sovereignty. For generations, Abyssinian rulers had ambition to conquer and
rule the Oromos and other peoples south of Abyssinia.
But every venture they made to invade their neighbours had never been easy.
They found it quite frustrating and at times humiliating. The Oromo people put
up fierce resistance and defended their country often repulsing and inflicting
humiliating defeat on the invading army of Abyssinians. This has dashed the
aspiration of Abyssinian until the European powers of the time involved in the
politics of the region. Such involvement has ultimately altered the balance of
power in favour of the Abyssinians. With the material, technical, and moral
support of Europeans, the war of colonization that the Abyssinians launched
against the Oromo people for years finally succeeded. Consequently Oromia has
been annexed and incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire.
To conquer Oromia, the architect of the Ethiopian Empire, Minilik II waged
the most vicious war against the Oromo people. In effect, Mililik actually
conducted a genocidal war to exterminate the Oromo people. Supplied with modern
armaments and guided with the advice of military strategists of European
powers, the army of Abyssinia for the first
time overran the Oromo defense force. The Oromo fighting force with much less sophisticated
weapons was ruthlessly killed by Minilik’s army. Captives were massacred or
sold as slaves. The army indiscriminately burned alive the elderly and children
they encountered all across Oromia. They terrorized and plundered the Oromo
people. Such a wide spread brutal action of the army reduced the once
prosperous people to abject poverty. The Oromo people were exposed to war
induced famine. As a result of the incessant war of colonization for nearly two
decades and famine, historians indicate that Oromia lost about half of its
population.
The Oromo people who survived the genocidal war and the generations that
followed have experienced the rule of the most anachronistic colonial system
ever seen in the history of mankind. Their colonial experience began under the
rule of Minilik. This became the beginning of what the Oromos referred to as
the Dark Age of their history. Minilik dismantled their democratic and
egalitarian system of administration and replaced it with his colonial rule.
Under his rule they lost all legal and political rights as a nation. With no
rights of any kind, the Oromos became literally items to be owned, bought and
sold: slaves.
Establishing garrison towns and stationing colonial army (naftanya) across
Oromia, the Oromo political, economic, and social activities were tightly
controlled through out the reign of Minilik. With the exception of the colonial
collaborators, by decree the Oromo people were denied the right to own
properties. Their land was confiscated and their properties were taken as
booties. Two-third of the land went to Minilik and his royal families,
landlords and churches. The remaining 1/3 was given to the indigenous people
who submitted and demonstrated loyalty to the rule of Minilik on conditions
that they provide services to settlers, pay taxes, support churches financially
and otherwise.
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Colonial Experience 
