Seven armed groups in Ethiopia have formed a new alliance with the\nprimary objective of overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Abiy\nAhmed. They have agreed to cooperate to establish a transitional\ngovernment that is intended to involve various groups across\nEthiopia.<\/p>\n
The announcement regarding the formation of this alliance was made on\nSunday (20\/9\/2026). The seven groups stated that such cooperation is\nnecessary to confront a political and security situation that they deem\nto be progressively worsening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have formed a joint alliance called the Ethiopian Peoples\u2019 Forces\nAlliance for Survival, abbreviated as the Alliance for Survival,\u201d stated\nthe seven groups in a joint communiqu\u00e9, as reported by Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
The alliance comprises several major armed groups that have been\ninvolved in conflicts with the Ethiopian federal government for many\nyears. One such group is the Amhara Fano National Movement, a coalition\nof various Fals factions that has been fighting against federal\ngovernment forces in the Amhara region since 2023.<\/p>\n
Also included is the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF), a group\nthat dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy\ncame to power, as well as the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has\nbeen in conflict with federal forces in the Oromia region since 2018.\nFour smaller groups complete the alliance: the Ogaden National\nLiberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front\n(Ugugumo), the Benishangul Peoples\u2019 Liberation Movement, and the Gumuz\nPeoples\u2019 Democratic Movement.<\/p>\n
A source close to the Fano movement told Al Jazeera that the leaders\nof these groups have been engaged in talks to form an alliance for\napproximately one year.<\/p>\n
The formation of this alliance comes only weeks after clashes\nreignited in the northern Tigray region. This conflict represents one of\nthe most serious violations of the peace agreement reached in 2022 and\nhas raised fears that Ethiopia could slide back into full-scale war.<\/p>\n
Armed conflicts continue to persist in several regions of Ethiopia.\nFighting has been ongoing in parts of Oromia since 2018, while the\nAmhara region has faced conflict since 2023.<\/p>\n
Abiy ascended to power in 2018 promising massive reforms. At the\nstart of his administration, he released numerous journalists,\nactivists, and other political prisoners, and lifted bans on several\npolitical parties. However, in recent years, political opponents and\nhuman rights groups have accused Abiy\u2019s government of reversing much of\nthat progress.<\/p>\n
In their announcement, the groups accused the government of\nimplementing a \u201cdictatorial rule\u201d that is driving Ethiopia towards\nfragmentation. They also stated that a transitional government, based on\na charter, would strive to end various wars, protect the rights of the\npeople, and open a national dialogue.<\/p>\n
Jaal Marroo, a military leader of the OLA, told a local broadcaster\nearlier this month that the groups had met several times before finally\nagreeing on the announcement of the alliance. Meanwhile, Fano leader\nZemene Kassie had previously revealed openly that an agreement had been\nreached, in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Temps published on\n16 August.<\/p>\n
The Ethiopian government has not yet provided any public comment\nregarding the announcement of the new alliance.<\/p>\n
The Fano movement has a complex history with the federal government.\nThe group previously fought alongside government forces against Tigrayan\nfighters during the Tigray war from 2020 to 2022, a conflict that\nresulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Disputes between Amhara and\nTigray also remain unresolved, as both sides claim Western Tigray, which\nhas been managed by Amhara nationalist groups since the end of the\nwar.<\/p>\n
Ethiopian academic Eyob Tilahun told Al Jazeera on Sunday that these\npreviously competing groups have agreed to dialogue and build an\nalliance for the sake of the people. \u201cThe allied forces believe that\nthey all face a threat to their survival from the government,\u201d said\nEyob.<\/p>\n
The peace agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2022\npreviously ended the war between the Ethiopian federal government and\nTigrayan forces. However, the agreement has yet to resolve several\nissues, including the disarmament process and the legal status of the\nTPLF. In mid-July, the TPLF even declared that the 2022 Pretoria peace\nagreement was \u201ceffectively dead.\u201d<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/seven-influential-groups-unite-forces-ready-to-overthrow-government-1790063817", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }