An anti-government united front of groups from Ethiopia’s 9 states was announced today at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The group called for the removal of the government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the establishment of a transitional government either by negotiation or military force. Called the “United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces,” the group opposes the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahamed’s intention to dismantle the federal structure and create a unitary state. Abiy has already taken the first step in this direction by creating the Prosperity Party.
The groups forming the Front include: the Afar Revolutionary Democratic UnityFront, Agaw Democratic Movement, Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement, Gambella People’s Liberation Army, Global Kimant People’s Right and Justice Movement/ Kimant Democratic Party, Oromo Liberation Front-Oromo Liberation Army, Sidama National Liberation Front, Somali State Resistance, and Tigray People’s Liberation Front. While most of the groups are small and not very effective, the effort is clearly run by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which has been in a full-scale war with the Ethiopian government for the past year. Also the Oromo Liberation Front-Oromo Liberation Army, has been in military conflict against the government in alliance with the TPLF.
The goals of the Front were announced in a press release: “This united front is being formed in response to the scores of crises facing the country; to reverse the harmful effects of the Abiy Ahmed rule on the peoples of Ethiopia and beyond; and in recognition of the great need to collaborate and join forces towards a safe transition in the country.”
