Ethiopian armed groups forge alliance against government

Seven Ethiopian armed organizations said on Sunday they have formed a unified coalition called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, pledging to work together to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and establish a transitional administration. The announcement followed about a year of talks among leaders of the different groups, a source close to Fano told Al Jazeera.

The coalition includes prominent actors from across Ethiopia’s recent conflicts: the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Four smaller groups — the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (Ugugumo), the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement — also joined the alliance.

In a joint statement, the groups accused the federal government of imposing “dictatorial rule” and said a transitional government governed by a charter would work to end hostilities, protect rights and convene a national dialogue. Leaders of the member movements had reportedly met several times before making the public announcement; Fano’s leader Zemene Kassie and OLA military leader Jaal Marroo previously indicated agreements had been reached.

The declaration comes amid renewed violence in multiple regions. Clashes in Tigray in recent weeks have been described as one of the most significant breaches of the 2022 Pretoria peace deal, and armed confrontations have persisted in Oromia since 2018 and in Amhara since 2023. The formation of an alliance that bridges groups that have at times been on opposing sides — notably Fano fought alongside federal troops against Tigray forces during the 2020–2022 war — raises concerns about an expansion of conflict.

The government had not issued a public response to the alliance’s announcement as of Sunday. Observers note unresolved issues from the Pretoria agreement, such as disarmament and the TPLF’s legal status, and the TPLF earlier declared the 2022 peace deal “effectively dead.” An Ethiopian academic quoted by Al Jazeera said the allied groups view themselves as facing a common survival threat from the government, a factor that helped drive their cooperation.