A coalition of seven rebel groups has declared the formation of the Alliance for Survival, uniting forces that have fought the Ethiopian government in different parts of the country. The alliance brings together the Amhara‑based Fano militia, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and four smaller organisations operating in the Somali, Afar and Benishangul‑Gumuz regions.
Spokesman Abdikadir Addaani Hirmooge of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which is part of the new coalition, told the BBC that the government had failed to honour a 2018 peace deal in the Somali region and accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party of being an “obstacle to the people” and of “unleashing” wars and deaths. He said the alliance aimed to bring divided communities together and to enable them to exercise self‑determination and democratic governance.
The groups allege that the current administration presides over “war, genocide, mass destruction and utter poverty”, warning that Ethiopia is at risk of disintegration. While some members, such as Fano, previously fought alongside federal forces against the TPLF during the two‑year Tigray war, they turned against the government after refusing orders to disarm following the war’s end.
The announcement comes months after reports of a possible TPLF‑Eritrea partnership and follows a general election in June in which Abiy’s Prosperity Party retained a large parliamentary majority despite low opposition participation. Both the Fano militia and the OLA rejected the election results, and the Tigray region was excluded from the vote altogether.
Ethiopia’s federal system is based on ethnic federalism, dividing the country into regions largely aligned with dominant ethnic groups. The new alliance now spans half of the nation’s twelve regional states, covering Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Somali, Afar and Benishangul‑Gumuz, highlighting the breadth of dissent against the central government.
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Category: International
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