Kajela Merdassa (

Oromo Oromo may refer to: * Oromo people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia and Kenya * Oromo language, an Afroasiatic language See also * *Orma (clan), Oromo tribe *Oromia Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homelan ...

''Kejelaa Mardasaa'') is an Ethiopian politician and senior member of the

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

(OLF). He was appointed Minister of Culture and Sports of Ethiopia on 6 October 2021 to 3 July 2024.

Political career

Kajela has been a member of the

(OLF) since 2020 or earlier. In 2020, as OLF public relations officer, he argued that change in the government of

Oromia Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

had not solved problems of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

violations. He called on the government to follow a constitutional constraint of a five-year length of elected mandates. In March 2021, in a factional split in the OLF between a faction led by chair Dawud Ibsa Ayana and one led by Ararso Bikila, Kajela sided with Ararso. The split was related to the question of whether or not to completely give up armed opposition. The Kajela–Ararso faction aimed to run candidates in the

2021 Ethiopian general election General elections were held in Ethiopia on 21 June and 30 September 2021 to elect members of the House of Peoples' Representatives. Regional elections were also held on those dates. The elections were initially scheduled for 29 August 2020, but ...

but did not qualify in time for deadlines set by the

National Election Board of Ethiopia The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) () is an autonomous federal government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' Re ...

. According to '' Borkena'', Kajela stated that Aba Torbe is an OLF death squad. Kajela attributed the killings in the March 2021 Ataye clashes in

Oromia Zone The Oromia Zone (; Amharic: ኦሮሚያ ዞን) is a zone in Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Oromia is named for the Oromo people, who settled along the edge of the Ethiopian Highlands that form this Zone. Oromia Zone is bordered on the southwest by ...

Amhara Region The Amhara Region (), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people, Amhara, Awi people, Awi, Xamir people, Xamir, Argobba people, Argobba, a ...

to governmental special forces. In the October 2021 reshuffle of the Abiy Ahmed Cabinet, Kajela was made Minister of Culture and Sports.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merdassa, Kajela Living people Government ministers of Ethiopia 21st-century Ethiopian politicians Year of birth missing (living people)