Opposing factions in Ethiopia’s Tigray war, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano militias, and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), have formed a seven-group military alliance to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and establish a transitional government. This unexpected collaboration follows months of tensions between these groups and the federal government, raising concerns about potential further conflict in a country already scarred by war that has caused up to 600,000 deaths.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Sunday, seven Ethiopian armed groups announced the formation of an alliance called the Alliance for Survival (AFS) to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and establish a transitional administration. The coalition includes major factions like the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), and Amhara Fano National Movement, along with four smaller groups from Ogaden, Afar, and Benishangul-Gumuz regions.
These groups accuse Abiy’s government of causing war, genocide, mass destruction, and poverty. They warn that Ethiopia is at risk of disintegration due to ongoing conflicts in Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray since 2018, which have left hundreds of thousands dead or displaced. The alliance members previously fought on opposing sides during the two-year civil war in Tigray but claim they have coordinated for over a year to achieve their common goal.
Federal authorities have not yet commented on this development, though it raises concerns about a potential return to full-scale conflict after an African Union peace deal ended hostilities in 2022.
Written for “Ethiopian Rebel Alliance Forms” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
The TPLF, Amhara's Fano militias and the Oromo Liberation Army — groups that fought on opposing sides in the Tigray war — said they had been coordinating for more than a year and aimed to install a transitional government.
asserted
they → fight → government
Forces that fought on opposing sides in Ethiopia's Tigray war have joined a seven-group military alliance to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and install a transitional administration, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) said on Sunday.
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Front → fight → Sunday
Both the government and the TPLF have massed troops along the border of the northern state in recent months, according to the African Union, fuelling fears of a return to the war that killed up to 600,000 people.
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that → mass → people
"We just formed an alliance, we are collaborating with several groups and our objectives are to remove the regime and facilitating a transitional government," said TPLF Vice President Amanuel Assefa.
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Assefa → form → government
The groups involved are Tigrayan forces, Amhara nationalist Fano militias and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), together with four groups from three other regions, making up half of the country's 12 regional states.
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groups → involve → states
"We think we will be successful, we have been talking with each other for more than a year," said Amanuel.
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Amanuel → think → year
Fano leader Zemene Kasse will chair the alliance, he added.
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he → chair → alliance
Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 partly for brokering a peace agreement with neighbouring Eritrea, has faced mounting armed opposition since 2023 as the post-war settlement unravelled.
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settlement → win → 2023
The Tigray war began in November 2020 when federal forces moved against the TPLF, which had dominated Ethiopian politics for three decades before Abiy came to power in 2018.
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Abiy → begin → 2018
The two sides signed the Pretoria Agreement in November 2022 to end the two-year war.
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sides → sign → war
According to the deal, the TPLF was to demobilise its forces and refrain from military mobilisation.
uncertain
TPLF → accord → mobilisation
The TPLF did not demobilise.
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TPLF → demobilise → ?
It also unilaterally reinstated its pre-war regional council in May of this year, effectively voiding the agreement.
uncertain
It → reinstate → agreement
Kjetil Tronvoll, professor of peace and conflict studies at Oslo New University College in Norway, cast doubt on the alliance's effort to overthrow the federal government, which possesses numerous drones.
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which → cast → drones
"I am not sure they will be able to sustain such a war," Tronvoll said.
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Tronvoll → sustain → war
"If they coordinate as a military command, it may make a difference, it is a potential four to five fronts that the government will have to deal with, it might be a challenge," he added.
uncertain
he → coordinate → that
Ethiopia has been plagued by armed conflicts in its two most populous regions, Oromia and Amhara.
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Ethiopia → plague → regions
Federal forces have been fighting the OLA, which the government has designated a "terrorist organisation", since 2018 in central Oromia.
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government → fight → Oromia
The Fano, "self-defence" militias of the Amhara ethnic group, took up arms against the government in April 2023 after federal authorities moved to disarm them.
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authorities → take → them
Despite Sunday's announcement, doubts remain over an alliance between groups that espouse different ideologies and have clashed in the past.
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that → remain → past
Fano fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces during the Tigray war.
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Fano → fight → war
The groups also have territorial disputes.
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groups → have → disputes
Amhara nationalists have administered Western Tigray, a contested area between Amhara and Tigray, since the end of the war.
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nationalists → administer → war
"We will sit at the table later to solve our problems peacefully," Amanuel said.
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Amanuel → sit → problems
Further violence hits Gambella region
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violence → hit → region
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced that at least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured as a result of a separate conflict in western Ethiopia near the border with South Sudan.
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dozens → announce → Sudan
Clashes are frequent in the Gambella region, home to more than 400,000 refugees, most of them South Sudanese who have fled violence in the world's youngest country.
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who → flee → country
"MSF teams at Kule health centre in Ethiopia's Gambella region have been responding to an influx of wounded patients following violence in Itang Special Woreda on 18 September," the medical charity said in a statement on Sunday.
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charity → respond → Sunday
MSF said it had received 88 patients from Friday's clashes, including eight who were already dead and four who died upon arrival.
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who → say → arrival
"We call on all those involved to exercise restraint and protect civilians from further violence," said MSF's operations manager in Ethiopia, Gul Badshah.
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manager → call → Ethiopia
A 2025 Rift Valley Institute report attributed the rise in conflict in Gambella to economic crisis and an influx of refugees.
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report → attribute → refugees
The Aporia
