Seven armed groups in Ethiopia unite to form anti-government coalition

Seven armed factions in Ethiopia have established a joint coalition with the shared objective of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from power. The newly formed Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival unites diverse regional and ethnic factions spreading from the northern Tigray territory down to the southern Somali territory.

Alliance Members

The coalition includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front alongside the Amhara Fano National Movement, even though these two bodies previously fought on opposing sides during the brutal 2020-2022 Tigray war that led to hundreds of thousands of fatalities. Fano later turned its weapons against federal forces in a separate regional conflict starting in 2023. The coalition further incorporates factions representing the Oromia, Afar, and Benishangul-Gumuz areas, despite some members continuing to dispute territorial boundaries amongst themselves.

Government Stance

Fano leader Zemene Kassie announced the coalition via a broadcast on Tigrayan television, stating that the groups share a duty to unseat the current administration. Representatives for the federal government and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not immediately reply to requests for statements. A government adviser previously dismissed potential opposition coalitions as incapable of unseating the central administration.

Context

Ethiopia has faced repeated internal conflicts driven by ethnic tensions, regional disputes, and disagreements over central authority. The formation of this broad coalition reflects deep political fractures across multiple territories of the nation.