Two Ethiopian armed groups, OLA & Fano, have agreed to work together to topple the Ethiopian federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Amhara Fano armed militias are based in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Since 2023, the Fano militias have been fighting the Ethiopian security forces. They accuse the Prime Minister Abiy’s government of committing a genocide of ethnic Amhara group. Fano militias are loosely organized with no one commander leading all Fano groups.
Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has been fighting the Ethiopian security forces for years in the Oromia region. The group accuses the ruling party of working against the interests of the Oromo ethnic group. It is led by Kumsa Dirriba, popularly called Jal Marro.
Fano and OLA have been fighting each other too, levelling accusations of ethnic violence against each other for years.
Reportedly, Fano and OLA representatives held talks in Ethiopia and abroad recently and the two groups agreed to stop fighting each other. They agreed to keep their differences aside and join hands to remove Ethiopian Prime Minister’s government.
Reportedly, Gojjam zone Fano commander Zemene Kassie and Kumsa Dirriba, OLA chief, are in regular contact.
In a related development, Oromo, Amhara, Somali and other Ethiopian politicians are holding meetings in the US to form a broad political-cum-military alliance against the Prime Minister who hopes to clinch another term in the next year’s General Election.
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