Ethiopian armed groups forge alliance against government

Published On 21 Sep 202621 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Fano fought alongside federal forces against Tigray's fighters in the Tigray war of 2020 to 2022.
• It dominated Ethiopian politics for almost three decades before Abiy took office; and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has fought federal forces in Oromia since 2018.
• Fighting has gripped parts of Oromia since 2018 and Amhara since 2023.
• Zemene Kassie, the Fano leader, first publicly indicated that deals had been reached in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, published on August 16.
• Seven Ethiopian armed groups have formed an alliance aimed at overthrowing the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

In practice, the groups confirmed the alliance on Sunday, saying that they would work together to set up an inclusive transitional administration.

"We have established a joint alliance called the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, known in short as the Alliance for Survival, " the groups remarked in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, the alliance includes the Amhara Fano National Movement, a coalition of Fano factions that has fought federal forces in the Amhara region since 2023; the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). It dominated Ethiopian politics for almost three decades before Abiy took office; and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has fought federal forces in Oromia since 2018.

Four smaller groups – the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (Ugugumo), the Benishangul Peoples' Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples' Democratic Movement – create up the rest.

In practice, the groups' leaders had been talking to form the alliance for regarding a year, a source close to Fano informed Al Jazeera on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the announcement comes weeks after clashes in the northern region of Tigray, one of the most serious breaches yet of a 2022 peace accord, deepened fears of a return to full-scale war.

Abiy came to power in 2018 promising sweeping reforms. He freed journalists, activists and other political prisoners and revoked bans on plenty of political parties after taking power.

But his opponents and human rights activists accuse his administration of reversing those gains over recent years.

In the statement, the alliance accuses the administration of imposing "dictatorial rule" that has pushed the country towards break-up.

It additionally states a transitional administration guided by a charter would work to end the wars, protect rights and open a national dialogue.

Jaal Marroo, the OLA's military leader, informed a local broadcaster earlier this month that they had met a number of times before settling on the final announcement.

Zemene Kassie, the Fano leader, first publicly indicated that deals had been reached in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, published on August 16. The administration has not publicly commented on Sunday's announcement.

Fano fought alongside federal forces against Tigray's fighters in the Tigray war of 2020 to 2022. It killed hundreds of thousands.

Amhara and Tigray additionally both claim Western Tigray. It amhara nationalists have administered since the war concluded.

Ethiopian academic Eyob Tilahun informed Al Jazeera on Sunday that the competing groups had agreed to have a dialogue and form an alliance "in the best interests of the public".

"Those allied forces believe that they all face a survival threat from the government, " Eyob remarked.

Meanwhile, the 2022 peace agreement, signed in Pretoria, South Africa, concluded the war between the federal administration and Tigray's forces but left disputes over disarmament and the TPLF's legal status unresolved.

In mid-July, the TPLF declared the 2022 Pretoria peace accord "effectively dead".

In short, ethiopian armed groups forge alliance against government is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.