Seven Insurgent Groups in Ethiopia Unite to Overthrow the Government

Seven armed groups have announced the formation of a unified alliance against Ethiopian government forces.

Amanuel Assafa, a representative of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, announced this, according to Yle, citing AFP.

According to him, the main goal of the new alliance is to overthrow the current regime and help form a transitional government.

However, Kjetil Tronvoll, a regional-affairs expert at the Norwegian college Nye Høyskole, questions the group’s ability to form a joint government because of significant ideological differences among them.

At the same time, the analyst notes that, with coordinated military command, the combined forces will force government troops to fight on four or five fronts simultaneously.

Armed conflicts are currently ongoing in the country’s most populous regions—Oromia and Amhara.

The current conflict dates back to 2018, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power, after which a series of local conflicts erupted across the country.

The bloodiest chapter was the war between the government and Tigray in 2020–2022, which claimed the lives of about 600,000 people.

A key member of the new alliance is the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated the country’s politics for years and later led the armed resistance against government forces in the north.

Previously, TPLF rebels have acquired FPV drones manufactured by the Turkish company North Weapon.

Another powerful opposition movement is the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has been waging an active armed struggle against the central government in the Oromia region since 2018.

The alliance has also been joined by fighters from the Fano militia in the Amhara region, who have been confronting federal troops since 2023.