Seven Ethiopian rebel groups form new alliance

Multiple rebel factions that have been engaged in armed struggles against authorities across various parts of Ethiopia have announced a formal coalition aimed at challenging the central administration located in Addis Ababa.

The newly formed alliance brings together the Fano militia based in Amhara, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), alongside four other smaller factions, under the collective name Alliance for Survival. The BBC has reached out to the federal government for official commentary on the development.

Ethiopia has endured years of prolonged armed conflict, particularly within Oromia and Amhara, which stand as the nation's most populous states. Additionally, renewed friction has emerged in the northern Tigray region, where a brutal two-year civil war previously claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of residents.

Although an African Union-brokered peace accord formally concluded that conflict in 2022, persistent fears regarding a potential relapse into full-scale warfare remain high, with both conflicting sides mutually accusing each other of breaching the agreement.

"Ethnic conflict, insecurity, and mutual oppression and pushing each other aside have not been eradicated, resulting in a need that has affected every ethnic group,"

Abdikadir Addaani Hirmooge, ONLF Spokesman

In addition to Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray, the fresh coalition incorporates groups originating from three additional territories—Somali, Afar, and Benishangul-Gumuz—thereby representing half of Ethiopia's total twelve regional states. Several of these factions were previously adversaries on the battlefield but have now resolved to cooperate against a shared adversary.