Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against government

On September 20, 2026, seven Ethiopian armed groups, including former adversaries from the 2020-2022 Tigray war, announced the formation of the Alliance for Survival. The coalition, which includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano militia, aims to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and establish a transitional administration. The alliance accuses the government of dictatorial rule, marginalization, and presiding over genocide and poverty, amid rising military tensions and troop build-ups in the Tigray region.

Alliance for Survival formation

• ▪Amhara Fano leader Zemene Kassie will chair the Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven Ethiopian armed groups formed on September 20, 2026, according to Tigray People's Liberation Front vice president Amanuel Assefa
• ▪Leaders of the armed groups in the Alliance for Survival had been in discussions to form the coalition for over a year before the September 20, 2026 announcement
• ▪The Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, formed by seven Ethiopian armed groups on September 20, 2026, aims to establish an inclusive transitional government guided by a charter to end conflicts, protect rights, and open a national dialogue
• ▪Seven Ethiopian armed groups announced on September 20, 2026, that they have formed a coalition named the Alliance for Survival to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government

Former adversaries unite against government

• ▪The seven armed groups allied in the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival, formed on September 20, 2026, some of which have ongoing territorial disputes such as over Western Tigray, stated they would resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue
• ▪The Alliance for Survival includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano militia, which previously fought on opposite sides during the 2020-2022 Tigray war

Accusations against Abiy Ahmed government

• ▪Member groups of the Alliance for Survival accused the federal government of Ethiopia of centralizing power and marginalizing the country's regional states
• ▪Ogaden National Liberation Front spokesman Abdikadir Addaani Hirmooge accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party of failing to respect a 2018 peace deal in the Somali region
• ▪The Alliance for Survival accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government of presiding over war, genocide, mass destruction, utter poverty, and dictatorial rule

Tigray civil war legacy

• ▪The 2020-2022 civil war in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people
• ▪The Amhara Fano militia fought alongside federal forces against the Tigray People's Liberation Front during the Tigray war but turned against the government in 2023 after refusing to disarm
• ▪The 2022 Pretoria peace agreement ended the Tigray war but left unresolved disputes regarding disarmament and the legal status of the Tigray People's Liberation Front

Renewed tensions in Tigray

• ▪In May 2026, the Tigray People's Liberation Front reasserted control over Tigray's political administration, which the federal government viewed as a violation of the African Union-brokered peace deal that ended the Tigray war in 2022
• ▪Tensions have risen in Tigray, with the African Union reporting in September 2026 that both the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front have massed troops along the regional border
• ▪The Ethiopian military has conducted several drone strikes against Tigrayan forces in mid-2026, and reported in September 2026 that nearly 300 Tigrayan fighters had surrendered

Multi-regional coalition composition

• ▪The seven member groups of the Alliance for Survival, formed by Ethiopian armed groups on September 20, 2026, are the Tigray People's Liberation Front, Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army, Ogaden National Liberation Front, Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Benishangul Peoples' Liberation Movement, and Gumuz Peoples' Democratic Movement
• ▪The federal government of Ethiopia has been fighting the Oromo Liberation Army in the Oromia region since 2018
• ▪The Alliance for Survival comprises groups representing six of Ethiopia's twelve regional states, including Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Afar, and Benishangul-Gumuz

Debatable claims

• ▪Ethiopia should preserve its system of ethnic federalism
• ▪The Alliance for Survival will successfully overthrow Ethiopia's federal government
• ▪Ethiopia's federal government should disarm regional militias