ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Seven Ethiopian armed groups, including forces that fought on opposing sides of the 2020–2022 Tigray war, have announced an alliance whose stated aim is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government and establish a transition.
The coalition brings together the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the Amhara Fano National Movement and armed organisations from Oromia, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz and the Somali region. Its announcement is politically significant, but it does not show that the groups have created a unified military command or resolved their territorial and ideological disputes.
Seven groups have announced the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, saying they will work to remove the federal government and support a transition. The coalition includes former enemies such as the TPLF and Fano.
What the seven groups announced
Reuters reported that the coalition is called the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival. A statement read by Fano leader Zemene Kassie and broadcast on Tigrayan television described removing the current government as the alliance's central objective.
TPLF vice-president Amanuel Assefa separately told Africanews that the groups had been discussing cooperation for more than a year. He said the planned political outcome was a transitional government.
The announcement includes groups based across several regions, giving the coalition a wider geographic claim than a single regional insurgency. Reuters identified the TPLF and Amhara Fano National Movement among the members, alongside organisations from Oromia, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz and the Somali region.
Why the TPLF-Fano link is striking
Fano forces fought alongside the federal government against the TPLF during the Tigray war. Since 2023, Fano factions have themselves fought federal forces in Amhara. The TPLF and Amhara nationalists also retain disputes over western Tigray, making their cooperation strategically important but internally fragile.
Al Jazeera reported that coalition figures said the members would postpone their disputes and address them through dialogue later. That promise has not yet been tested through joint political structures or military operations.
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Seven Ethiopian Armed Groups Form Anti-Government Alliance
Sep 21, 2026
Sep 21, 2026
4 min read
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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Seven Ethiopian armed groups, including forces that fought on opposing sides of the 2020–2022 Tigray war, have announced an alliance whose stated aim is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government and establish a transition.
The coalition brings together the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the Amhara Fano National Movement and armed organisations from Oromia, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz and the Somali region. Its announcement is politically significant, but it does not show that the groups have created a unified military command or resolved their territorial and ideological disputes.
Seven groups have announced the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, saying they will work to remove the federal government and support a transition. The coalition includes former enemies such as the TPLF and Fano.
What the seven groups announced
Reuters reported that the coalition is called the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival. A statement read by Fano leader Zemene Kassie and broadcast on Tigrayan television described removing the current government as the alliance's central objective.
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TPLF vice-president Amanuel Assefa separately told Africanews that the groups had been discussing cooperation for more than a year. He said the planned political outcome was a transitional government.
The announcement includes groups based across several regions, giving the coalition a wider geographic claim than a single regional insurgency. Reuters identified the TPLF and Amhara Fano National Movement among the members, alongside organisations from Oromia, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz and the Somali region.
Why the TPLF-Fano link is striking
Fano forces fought alongside the federal government against the TPLF during the Tigray war. Since 2023, Fano factions have themselves fought federal forces in Amhara. The TPLF and Amhara nationalists also retain disputes over western Tigray, making their cooperation strategically important but internally fragile.
Al Jazeera reported that coalition figures said the members would postpone their disputes and address them through dialogue later. That promise has not yet been tested through joint political structures or military operations.
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The new grouping arrives as Ethiopia faces several overlapping conflicts. Federal forces have fought the Oromo Liberation Army since 2018, while violence in Amhara and renewed tensions involving Tigrayan forces have put further pressure on the state.
XTRAfrica previously reported on renewed clashes in western Tigray, where unresolved territorial questions continue to threaten the settlement that ended the northern war.
What the announcement does not prove
The coalition's declared goal is not evidence that it can overthrow the federal government. Ethiopia's military retains significant manpower, air power and drones, while the armed groups differ in territory, leadership and political purpose.
Reuters said the prime minister's spokesperson and federal government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A government adviser had said in August, when reports of a possible coalition circulated, that such a formation might cause disruption but could not remove the government.
Why the regional stakes are high
Ethiopia is central to the Horn of Africa and hosts the African Union headquarters. A coordinated conflict across several regions could disrupt trade routes, aid operations and civilian movement well beyond the immediate battlefields.
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The country's external tensions add to that risk. XTRAfrica's explainer on Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea documented the strain involving Eritrea and the strategic importance of the Assab question.
The 2022 Pretoria agreement ended large-scale fighting between the federal government and Tigrayan forces, but its implementation has remained contested. Reuters reported that the TPLF reasserted control over Tigray's political administration in May 2026 after accusing Addis Ababa of failing to honour the deal.
Federal authorities said that move violated the agreement.The African Union and regional governments will now be watching for three things: whether the alliance establishes a functioning joint command, whether fighting expands across multiple fronts, and whether political channels remain open.
For civilians, the most important distinction is between an announcement and an active nationwide campaign. The declaration raises the risk of escalation; it does not by itself establish that a new national war has begun.
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