Ethiopian rebels create an anti-government alliance

The Ethiopian Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) says it has formed a military alliance with Tigrayan troops in the country’s north to attack the government. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has not issued a comment on the deal, but a spokeswoman for the organization confirmed.

Both groups were declared terrorist organizations by the authorities in May. A coalition of the OLA and Tigrayan forces might put Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed under even more strain. The government has often had to deal with Tigrayan forces, but it has also had to deal with a number of disputes around the country.

The OLA, which advocates for Oromo self-determination, has had modest military achievements, but it has made sections of the region extremely unstable. Most internal Ethiopian battles have been isolated and centered on local grievances; by creating an alliance, the OLA and Tigrayan forces appear to be attempting to change that.

The federal administration has recently suffered a string of defeats in northern Ethiopia, ceding territory to Tigrayan fighters.

It lifted a unilateral cease-fire and urged the federal army and its allies to put an end to the TPLF’s devastation once and for all.