Why Dagmawi's argument against ADF is muddled
Dagmawi has a take on ADF. I hate to disagree with him but I found some of his assertions pretty muddled.
1. Dagmawi says "The excitement and novelty of the May 15, 2005 election was the possibility of changing Ethiopia's government using peaceful means. Now the CUDP is allying itself with organizations that are engaged in an armed struggle that aims for the violent overthrow of the government."
The CUDP hasn't declared that it has changed its strategy of non-violence struggle. The alliance has nothing to do with the unity of strategies among the parties. Here is the alliance's objective and tasks as stated in the draft agreement(There might have been some minor changes. I got it a day before it was signed.)
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Alliance is to:
TO ENSURE liberty, peace, justice and the rule of law;
Promote peace in Ethiopia and the region, ensuring that the resulting peace dividend shall be enjoyed by all;
Lay the foundation for a fully democratic system in Ethiopia that meets the aspirations of all an address their grievances by instituting a genuinely representative political order
Ensure the supremacy of the rule of law by adapting the universal declaration of human rights and relevant United Nations covenants
Reaffirm respect for and commitment to the basic norms of international law and the principles enshrined in the charter of the United Nations
Achieve a new, just democratic Ethiopia where human and democratic rights are fully respected and
Genuinely and boldly address the serious issue in Ethiopia and amicably resolve the many intractable conflicts in the region thereby laying the foundations for lasting peace, democracy, stability and development


TASKS
The Alliance shall:
Coordinate the activities of member organizations by mobilizing and galvanizing their constituencies in order to achieve freedom, lasting peace and democracy
Pool together the parties’ resources and talents in order to conduct an effective political and diplomatic campaign
Work together to promote brotherly relationship among all the people by mitigating and preventing all forms of inter-communal and inter-confessional discord
Uphold a culture of peaceful resolution of intrastate an interstate conflicts in the region and enhancing regional cooperation as a vehicle to create conditions for peace, stability, economic development and political integration
Promote harmony between the parties and their constituencies by overcoming the history of mistrust through dialogue, mutual understanding and respect
Advance the development of a democratic culture and institutions and actively promote the resolution of the border conflict with Eritrea BASED ON THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO BROTHERLY COUNTRIES
2. Dagmawi argues "The CUDP should have concentrated on forming an alliance with the Oromo groups operating peacefully within the country. Instead, with this disastrous move it is making itself far more vulnerable to the TPLF/EPRDF, it is damaging its credentials as a non-violent party, and it is allowing itself to be used as a tool by the Eritrean dictator. "
The CUDP is an outlawed political party in Ethiopia. The Oromo parties that joined parliament couldn't make lawful alliances with an illegal party. Furthermore, the leaders of CUDP at home are incarcerated and; therefore, unable to make any kind of legally binding act.
As to the Eritrean dictator, there is no provision in the alliance that has given him a role in AFD. The fact that OLF and ONLF operate there shouldn't automatically rule them out from participating in Ethiopia's politics.
3. Dagmawi argues "The OLF has started to lose ground due to the emergence of non-violent Oromo nationalist parties (such as the OFDM). This move will help the OLF regain initiative in the short-term."
There is no evidence that the OLF is losing its base support. The non-violent Oromo parties had their chance in the election and did relatively well. OLF didn't compete in the elections and; therefore, it is difficult to assert that it was starting to lose ground.
Yes, OLF isn't that successful in the armed struggle. Yet there are other factors for the failure of the armed struggle
Conclusion: Although the ideology and political strategy of OLF and ONLF are very different from CUDP, we should accept that they should have a say in Ethiopia's politics(CUDP winning an election or not). The way to make them milder and accept Ethiopian unity is not to isolate but embrace them. CUDP was ready to work with TPLF and proposed a national unity government even after TPLF killed people, destroyed our lives, sold out to Eritrea, denied the country access to the sea and endangered the life and unity of the nation. What more has OLF done ideologically and strategically to rule out just an alliance of democracy with it?