Africa-Press. Armed militias from Fano in Ethiopia have announced their alliance with forces from the Tigray region, marking an unprecedented step that brings together previously warring armed groups against the central government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Zemeni Kasi, leader of the Fano group, which includes fighters from the Amhara ethnic group, one of the largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia, stated that his group has formed new alliances with several armed forces opposed to the government, including forces from the northern Tigray region.
Kasi explained in an interview with a local source that these alliances aim to unify the armed opposition forces against the central government in efforts to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
American political analyst Johannes Woldemariam, an expert on Ethiopian and Horn of Africa affairs at the University of Colorado, described the announcement as credible, noting that the rapprochement between Fano and Tigray forces represents a significant development in the Ethiopian political and security landscape.
Woldemariam stated that the agreement between the two parties is “unprecedented,” clarifying that Amhara and Tigray have fought against each other and still have border disputes, yet both sides have decided to set aside their differences and form a united front against the central government.
He added that the allied armed groups now see Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as the primary threat, and that toppling his government has become an urgent goal for them.
This rapprochement between previously conflicting groups comes in the aftermath of the Tigray War, which erupted in November 2020 and lasted until 2022, resulting in an estimated 600,000 deaths.
During that war, members of the Amhara ethnic group fought alongside government forces led by Abiy Ahmed against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, making them part of the anti-TPLF camp that had controlled the Tigray region.
However, the new alliances indicate a clear shift in the calculations of the armed groups, which seem to have decided to suspend their previous disagreements and focus on confronting the central government.
Woldemariam believes that this recent development raises significant concerns for Abiy Ahmed’s government, pointing out that the ruling Prosperity Party has attempted to exploit tensions between the Amhara and Tigray communities and maintain divisions between them.
He stated that the party has sought to sow discord between the two sides by inciting mutual attacks, yet these efforts appear, in his view, unable to prevent the current rapprochement among the armed groups.
The American analyst believes that the new alliances could pose a real threat to the government in Addis Ababa, especially if the various armed groups manage to coordinate their actions and unify their efforts against government forces.
He warned that this development could lead to widespread clashes in different regions of the country, exacerbating security and political tensions and threatening the fragile stability in Ethiopia.
Furthermore, the repercussions of any new escalation could extend beyond Ethiopian borders, given the country’s strategic location in the Horn of Africa and the ongoing crises and intertwined conflicts in the region, raising concerns about the potential spread of instability to other countries in the area.
