Seven Ethiopian Armed Rebel Groups Form Alliance to Challenge Abiy Government

Seven Ethiopian armed and opposition groups, including the Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), have announced a new alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and establishing a transitional administration.

The groups announced the formation of what they called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, also known as the Alliance for Survival, on September 20. The coalition brings together forces from several regions of Ethiopia, including groups that previously fought on opposing sides during the 2020–2022 Tigray war.

The alliance consists of the Amhara Fano National Movement, the TPLF, the OLA, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.

According to statements from the groups, discussions aimed at bringing them together had been taking place for more than a year. Fano leader Zemene Kassie is set to chair the new alliance, according to TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa.

The coalition says its immediate objective is to coordinate its political and organisational capabilities to remove the Prosperity Party-led federal government and establish an inclusive transitional administration under a transitional charter. The groups have also called for an end to Ethiopia’s armed conflicts and a broader national political process.

The announcement is notable because some of the groups involved have previously been adversaries. Fano fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces during much of the Tigray war against the TPLF, while the OLA has separately fought federal forces in Oromia. The groups also have unresolved political and territorial differences, particularly involving the contested Western Tigray area.

The announcement comes amid renewed tensions in northern Ethiopia. Fighting and military mobilisation around Tigray have raised concerns about a possible return to a wider conflict following the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement that ended the Tigray war. The TPLF declared in July that the agreement was effectively dead.

The practical strength of the new alliance remains uncertain. Bringing together groups operating in different regions and with different political objectives does not necessarily mean they have established a single military command. Analysts cited by Africanews questioned whether the coalition could sustain a prolonged confrontation with the federal government and how its members would resolve their differences if they succeeded in removing the current administration.

The Ethiopian federal government had not publicly responded to the announcement in the initial reporting. The formation of the alliance nevertheless marks a new attempt by several armed opposition movements to coordinate their activities at a time of renewed political and security tensions across the country.