Nine
anti-government factions in Ethiopia will form an alliance on Friday, two of
the groups named in an announcement seen by Reuters said, as pressure mounts on
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with rebel forces making advances towards the
capital.
Two
of the groups, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Agaw Democratic Movement
(ADM), confirmed to Reuters the announcement was genuine.
Several
of the groups have armed fighters although it was not clear if they all do.
Abiy's
spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, asked about the new anti-government alliance,
referred Reuters to a comment she posted on Twitter in which she defended
Abiy's rule since he first took office in 2018 following a wave of
anti-government protests. His party was re-elected in June.
"The
opening up of the political space three years ago provided ample opportunity
for contenders to settle their differences at the ballot box in June
2021," Seyoum said in the post.
She
did not refer directly to the new alliance.
Spokespeople
for the government and the foreign ministry did not respond to requests for
comment on the alliance.
On
Thursday, African and Western nations called for an immediate ceasefire in
Ethiopia after Tigrayan forces from the north said they made advances towards
the capital this week.
The
announcement of the new alliance comes during a two-day visit to Addis Ababa by
U.S. Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman.
On
Thursday, he met African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki, as well as
the Ethiopian defence minister, finance minister and deputy prime minister,
according to the State Department.
It
was not clear whether the U.S. envoy would meet Abiy. His spokesperson said she
had no information on that.
The
new alliance, called the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist
Forces, includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been
fighting Abiy's government for a year in a war that has killed thousands of
people and forced more than two million more from their homes.
The
TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda did not respond to comment requests on Friday.
The
groups will hold a signing ceremony on Friday in Washington, they said in the
announcement.
The
front is being formed to reverse the harmful effects of Abiy's rule on the
peoples of Ethiopia, the groups said.
By Reuters
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