Seven Ethiopian opposition and armed groups have announced the formation of a new alliance aimed at challenging the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The coalition, known as the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, brings together groups from different parts of the country, including factions that have previously been involved in conflicts with one another.
The alliance includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.
The groups said they intend to work together to remove Abiy’s government and establish an alternative political arrangement. Their announcement comes amid renewed tensions in several parts of Ethiopia and concerns over the possibility of further armed conflict.
The formation of the alliance is particularly notable because the TPLF and Fano previously fought on opposite sides during Ethiopia’s 2020–2022 Tigray conflict.
Fano forces fought alongside federal forces against the TPLF during that conflict, before later becoming involved in fighting against the federal government in the Amhara region.
The new coalition brings together organisations with different regional and political backgrounds. Members have accused the federal government of concentrating power at the centre and marginalising regional interests. The government has said it is pursuing a national dialogue to address longstanding political divisions and internal conflicts.
The announcement also comes after renewed tensions involving Tigray. The 2022 peace agreement brought an end to the major fighting between federal forces and the TPLF, but several political and territorial disputes have remained unresolved.
Recent clashes and tensions between federal and Tigrayan forces have raised concerns about the stability of the peace arrangement.
The Ethiopian government has also accused neighbouring Eritrea of supporting armed groups opposed to Addis Ababa. Eritrea has repeatedly denied such allegations.
The new alliance faces questions about how effectively its members can cooperate. Analysts have pointed to the geographical distance between some of the groups, differences in their political objectives and previous disagreements over territory and other issues.
Magnus Taylor of the International Crisis Group told Reuters that these factors could make cooperation difficult despite the groups’ shared opposition to the federal government.
The alliance’s formation therefore represents a significant development in Ethiopia’s continuing political and security challenges, but its ability to operate as a unified force remains uncertain.
The Ethiopian government had not immediately issued a detailed public response to the announcement at the time of reporting.
The situation remains fluid, with developments involving the alliance, the federal government and regional actors likely to shape Ethiopia’s political and security environment in the coming months.
Source: Thepressradio.com
