Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against Abiy government

Seven Ethiopian armed groups, including former enemies from the 2020-2022 civil war, have formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

The Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival brings together groups from across the country, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Amhara Fano National Movement. Some members remain at odds over territory and other issues.

Abiy's spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, said the groups had been collaborating with financial backing from neighbouring Eritrea, which has repeatedly denied similar accusations.

“The recent announcement is only attesting to what the Ethiopian government has been alleging time and again,” she said.

Fano fought alongside the federal government against the TPLF during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and was marked by ethnically driven atrocities.

Fano later took up arms against the federal government in Amhara, where thousands have been killed since 2023.

The groups accuse the government of centralising power and marginalising regions. The government says it has launched a national dialogue to address political divisions and internal conflicts.

The alliance said its members “bear the historic responsibility of overthrowing this regime”, according to a statement read by Fano leader Zemene Kassie and broadcast by Tigrai TV.

Ethiopia's media regulator said on Monday that news outlets were prohibited from using Tigrai TV as a source.

Questions over alliance's strength

The alliance also includes groups from Oromia, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz and follows reported skirmishes between federal and Tigrayan forces.

In May, the TPLF reasserted control over Tigray's political administration, violating a 2022 peace deal. It accused the federal government of failing to uphold the agreement.

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