Ethiopian opposition groups unite to mount challenge to prime minister Abiy

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Seven opposition groups in Ethiopia have formed an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his government, according to an announcement on Sunday.

The coalition said it would be known as the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival.

Its members are the Amhara Fano National Movement, the Oromo Liberation Army, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.

The leaders of the TPLF fought federal authorities in the deadly armed conflict in northern Ethiopia that ended with the signing of a peace accord in November 2022.

TPLF spokesman Michael Asgedom said his group’s cooperation with other opposition factions was political and military. Joint “military operations may become necessary to achieve the objective of removing the dictatorial regime,” he told The Associated Press.

Asked whether the TPLF’s participation in the alliance violated the 2022 peace agreement, Asgedom said that accord was “no longer valid.”

Zemene Kassie, chairman of the Amhara Fano National Movement, appeared on Tigray TV on Sunday to announce new alliance. He accused the federal government of presiding over widespread insecurity and armed conflict, displacement, poverty and gross human rights abuses.

The Ethiopian Media Authority responded on Monday by saying Tigray TV was an illegal entity and accusing it of promoting insurgency.

In addition to the Tigray conflict, the federal authorities have faced conflicts elsewhere, including in the Amhara and Oromia provinces.

Abiy’s Prosperity Party was retained power in June's general election that was boycotted by the main opposition groups.

It was not immediately clear how closely the seven groups will work together in their stated objective of ousting Abiy, who rose to the premiership of Ethiopia in 2018 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to make peace with neighboring Eritrea.

After relations between the neighbors improved, Eritrean forces teamed up with Ethiopian troops against fighters loyal to the TPLF in 2020.

Relations between the two countries have since deteriorated, partly over Abiy’s desire for sovereign access to the Eritrean seaport of Assab. Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting rebel groups operating inside Ethiopian territory.