Seven Ethiopian armed and opposition groups have announced the formation of an alliance aimed at removing the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and establishing an inclusive transitional administration.
The groups announced the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, also known as the Alliance for Survival, in a joint statement issued on Sunday.
The alliance brings together the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano National Movement and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), alongside the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, known as Ugugumo, Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.
The groups said they had agreed to coordinate their activities, resolve their differences peacefully and work towards removing what they described as the current government’s “personalist” and “dictatorial” system.
They said their proposed transitional government would be guided by a transitional charter and would seek to end armed conflicts, protect human and democratic rights, restore security and facilitate an inclusive national and constitutional dialogue.
The announcement is significant because some of the groups have previously been on opposing sides of Ethiopia’s conflicts.
The TPLF fought federal forces during the 2020–2022 war in northern Ethiopia, while Fano, an Amhara armed movement, fought alongside federal forces during the conflict before turning against the government in 2023.
The OLA has also been involved in an armed conflict with federal forces in Oromia since 2018.
The latest development comes amid renewed tensions in Tigray, where fighting broke out in western parts of the region in August, raising concerns over the future of the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement.
The agreement ended the two-year Tigray war but left several issues unresolved, including territorial disputes, disarmament and the political status of the TPLF.
In July, the TPLF described the Pretoria agreement as “effectively dead”, according to Al Jazeera, amid deteriorating relations with the federal government.
The 2020–2022 conflict caused a major humanitarian crisis, with estimates of hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of people displaced.
The alliance’s members accused the government of worsening insecurity, poverty, displacement and human rights problems and said Ethiopia faced the risk of further fragmentation.
Those allegations were made by the groups themselves and have not been independently established as fact.
The Ethiopian government has also rejected accusations made by opposition groups and has maintained that it is working to restore peace and stability across the country.
The extent to which the seven groups will coordinate their activities remains unclear.
TPLF spokesman Michael Asgedom said the group’s cooperation with other members of the alliance had both political and military dimensions, including the possibility of joint military operations, according to the Associated Press.
The announcement therefore brings together organisations with different political objectives, regional interests and histories of conflict.
Ethiopia has continued to face armed conflicts in parts of Oromia and Amhara, while tensions have also increased in Tigray following disputes over implementation of the Pretoria agreement.
The new alliance could further complicate efforts to resolve the country’s multiple conflicts, although its ability to operate as a coordinated political or military force remains uncertain.
The Ethiopian government’s response to the announcement was not immediately available in the reports reviewed for this story.
Reuters
