Ethiopia Again Gripped by War Clouds... Seven Rebel Groups Join Forces, Vowing to "Overthrow the Current Government"

[Financial News] Seven armed groups in Ethiopia, including former bitter enemies who once fought each other during the country's civil war, have formed a large-scale united front against the government with the goal of overthrowing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration. As the 2022 peace accord has effectively become a dead letter and armed clashes have resumed in various areas, rebel forces are regrouping, pushing tensions in Ethiopia to their highest level.
According to Al Jazeera and other major foreign media outlets on the 21st local time, seven Ethiopian armed groups issued a joint statement the previous day officially announcing the formation of the "Alliance of Ethiopian People's Forces for Survival," hereinafter referred to as the "survival alliance."
In their statement, they said, "The current Abiy regime has concentrated power in the center and built a dictatorial system, causing war, poverty and the collapse of the rule of law." They declared, "We will remove the current system that threatens the survival of the people and establish an inclusive transitional government." They also outlined plans to hold a public constitutional dialogue after the change in government and guarantee human rights and democratic rights.
The alliance includes major rebel groups from Ethiopia's key conflict zones, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopian politics until Abiy Ahmed came to power; the Amhara Fano People's Organisation; and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The Ogaden National Liberation Front, Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Benishangul People's Liberation Movement and Gumuz People's Democratic Movement have also joined.
The most striking aspect is that forces that were once enemies have joined hands under the common goal of "overthrowing the government." Fano, a militia from the Amhara region, fought bloody battles against the TPLF on the side of federal government forces during the 2020–2022 Tigray War. Although the two sides remain at odds over control of Western Tigray, the alliance sought to defuse tensions, saying, "We will resolve our differences peacefully in the future, in accordance with the free will of the people and the rule of law."
The anti-government alliance emerged as the embers of Ethiopia's civil war began to flare up again. The peace accord signed by the federal government and the TPLF in 2022 has languished without resolving key disputes, including disarmament and legal status. In July, the TPLF declared that the peace accord was "effectively dead." Clashes between federal forces and Tigrayan armed groups have recently resumed in northern Tigray, while claims have also emerged that federal forces carried out several drone strikes targeting Tigrayan forces. Fighting between government forces and rebels has continued in Oromia and Amhara, Ethiopia's two most populous regions.
It remains uncertain whether this united front can pose a real threat to the Ethiopian government. Experts noted that the ethnic and regional bases and interests of the participating armed groups differ sharply, making it unclear whether these former enemies can integrate their military command structures and maintain a unified front over the long term. The Ethiopian federal government has yet to issue an official position on the formation of the alliance.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter