Seven Ethiopian armed groups have formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival brings together an ethnically diverse body of groups based across the country, from Tigray in the north to Somali Region in the south. The groups have accused the government of centralising power and marginalising the regions.
The alliance includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Amhara Fano National Movement, former foes who fought on opposite sides of the 2020-2022 Tigray war. The war resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and was marked by ethnically driven atrocities. Fano subsequently rose up against the federal government in a conflict that has killed thousands in Amhara since 2023.
Abiy's spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, said members of the alliance had been collaborating with the financial backing of Ethiopia's neighbour and historic adversary Eritrea. Eritrea's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Asmara has repeatedly denied similar accusations. The Ethiopian government has launched a national dialogue meant to address longstanding political divisions and internal conflicts.
The alliance was announced late on Sunday, and the statement was read out by Fano leader Zemene Kassie and broadcast on the TPLF-controlled Tigrai TV. The statement was also published on several of the groups' social media feeds. On Monday, the country's media regulator said it was strictly prohibited for news outlets to use Tigrai TV as a source of information.
The announcement of the alliance follows reported skirmishes between federal and Tigrayan forces. In May, the TPLF reasserted control over the region's political administration in violation of a 2022 peace deal that ended the Tigray war. The Ethiopian military has carried out several drone strikes against Tigrayan forces in recent months.
Magnus Taylor, an analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said the new alliance would concern the federal government but it was not yet clear whether the groups would collaborate effectively. Attempts for its members to work together may be hamstrung by the weak nature of several of the groups, the geographical distances between them, and political differences.
The Ethiopian Media Authority's director general did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. The alliance also includes groups from the Oromia, Afar, and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. The federal government has not commented on the reported drone strikes, but the military said last week that nearly 300 Tigrayan fighters had surrendered to it.
Key points
- The alliance includes former foes who fought on opposite sides of the 2020-2022 Tigray war.
- The groups have accused the government of centralising power and marginalising the regions.
- The alliance was formed with the goal of overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
