Seven armed factions announced on Monday that they have joined forces in a formal alliance, a move that could widen Ethiopia's long‑running internal conflicts.

Alliance announced amid ongoing unrest

The coalition, disclosed in a statement released to the BBC, brings together groups that have operated separately in the country's most densely populated regions, including the Oromo, Benishangul‑Gumuz and Afar areas. The communiqué said the groups will coordinate military actions and political negotiations.

According to the BBC, the alliance includes the Oromo Liberation Army and several smaller militias that have been active in the western and eastern peripheries of the nation for years.

Ethiopian rebel leaders gathered around a table in a remote town

Officials in Addis Ababa said the announcement comes as the federal government continues to implement a security crackdown that began after the 2020‑2022 Tigray war.

Potential impact on peace talks

Negotiators in the African Union‑mediated process have been trying to persuade insurgent groups to lay down arms in exchange for political inclusion. The new alliance could complicate those talks, analysts told the BBC, because a coordinated front may demand broader concessions than individual factions have previously sought.

Humanitarian agencies warned that a more unified rebel front might launch simultaneous offensives, stretching the already strained capacity of UN‑OCHA and the Red Cross to deliver aid in the affected regions.

Government response and regional concerns

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office described the pact as "a destabilising development" and vowed to "protect Ethiopia's sovereignty and the safety of its citizens," a statement released on Tuesday.

Neighbouring Sudan and Kenya, both hosts to large numbers of Ethiopian refugees, have expressed unease. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said an escalation could trigger another wave of displacement across the Horn of Africa.

Security experts note that a united rebel bloc may be better equipped to challenge the federal army's control over key transport corridors, potentially disrupting trade routes that link the Red Sea to inland markets.

As the alliance prepares to announce its first coordinated operation, observers say the coming weeks will test the government's ability to contain violence while maintaining the fragile peace that has held since the end of the Tigray conflict.