Ethiopian armed groups announce alliance against Abiy government
Seven armed groups, including Fano, the TPLF and the OLA, say they will pursue an inclusive transitional government as conflict intensifies across several regions.
Seven Ethiopian armed groups have announced an alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and establishing an inclusive transitional administration.
The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, known as the Alliance for Survival, includes the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army. Four smaller groups are also part of the alliance: the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.
In a joint statement reported by Al Jazeera, the groups said a transitional government guided by a charter would seek to end the country’s wars, protect rights and open a national dialogue. The alliance accused the government of imposing “dictatorial rule”, a claim made by the groups and not independently established in the source material.
The announcement follows renewed clashes in Tigray and continuing fighting in Amhara and Oromia. The violence in Tigray has placed further strain on the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended the war between federal forces and Tigrayan fighters but left disputes over disarmament, the TPLF’s legal status and Western Tigray unresolved.
Fano has fought federal forces in Amhara since 2023, while the OLA has been fighting federal forces in Oromia since 2018. Fano previously fought alongside federal forces against Tigrayan forces during the 2020–2022 Tigray war.
The groups’ ability to coordinate, their operational strength and their capacity to challenge the government have not been established. The Ethiopian government had not publicly commented on the alliance announcement.
