Seven Ethiopian Armed Groups Announce Alliance to Oppose Abiy Government

Seven Ethiopian armed groups have announced a joint alliance aimed at overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, saying they will work toward an inclusive transitional government.

The groups said in a joint statement that they had formed the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, also known as the Alliance for Survival. They said a transitional administration guided by a charter would seek to end the country’s wars, protect rights and open a national dialogue.

Seven groups join forces

The alliance brings together the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, also known as Ugugumo, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.

In their statement, the groups accused Abiy’s government of imposing what they described as “dictatorial rule” and of pushing Ethiopia towards break-up. Those claims were part of the alliance’s announcement.

A source close to Fano told Al Jazeera that the leaders had been discussing the creation of the alliance for about a year. Ethiopian academic Eyob Tilahun said the competing groups had agreed to hold a dialogue and establish the alliance “in the best interests of the public”.

Tilahun also said the allied forces believed they faced a survival threat from the government.

Conflicts across Ethiopia

The announcement brings together organisations involved in conflicts across several parts of Ethiopia. The Amhara Fano National Movement, described as a coalition of Fano factions, has fought federal forces in the Amhara region since 2023. The Oromo Liberation Army has fought federal forces in Oromia since 2018.

The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018. It later fought federal forces during the Tigray war, which lasted from 2020 to 2022 and killed hundreds of thousands, according to the source report.

Fano fought alongside federal forces during that war. A peace agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2022 ended the conflict between the federal government and Tigray’s forces, but disputes over disarmament and the TPLF’s legal status remained unresolved.

Amhara and Tigray also both claim Western Tigray, which Amhara nationalists have administered since the war ended. Recent clashes in Tigray were among the most serious breaches of the 2022 peace deal.

Government response awaited

The Ethiopian government had not publicly commented on the alliance announcement at the time of the report.

Abiy initially came to power promising sweeping reforms, including the release of journalists, activists and other political prisoners and the lifting of bans on several political parties. Opponents and human rights activists have since accused his government of reversing some of those gains.

The alliance’s announcement did not provide details about its command structure, membership terms, operational plans or how its proposed transitional government would be formed.