Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against PM Abiy Ahmed
Groups including TPLF and Fano aim to overthrow the government and establish a transitional administration.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
![Seven Ethiopian armed groups announce an alliance aimed at removing the federal government [Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WEB-MAP-ETHIOPIA-1000X562-1789944350.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
Seven Ethiopian armed groups announce an alliance aimed at removing the federal government [Al Jazeera]
Photograph: Al Jazeera (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Seven Ethiopian armed groups announced an alliance on Sunday to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
- The coalition includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara Fano National Movement, and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), along with four smaller groups.
- The alliance stated its aim is to remove the current government and establish an inclusive transitional administration.
- A regional specialist expressed doubt about the alliance's ability to sustain a prolonged conflict against the government.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 4 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
72/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
15/100
4 sources · methodology
Seven Ethiopian armed groups announced on Sunday the formation of an alliance intended to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The coalition, which includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara Fano National Movement, and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), stated its objective is to establish an inclusive transitional government.
The alliance comprises the TPLF, which previously dominated Ethiopian politics, the Amhara Fano National Movement, a group that has engaged in conflict with federal forces since 2023, and the OLA, an insurgency active in the Oromia region since 2018. Four smaller groups, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement, and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement, are also part of the coalition. According to Al Jazeera, leaders from these groups had been in discussions for about a year.
Divergent views on the alliance's prospects
Kjetil Tronvoll, a regional specialist at Oslo New University College, expressed scepticism regarding the alliance's capacity to sustain a war against the Ethiopian government. He told AFP that while coordination could present a challenge with potential fronts on multiple sides, he questioned the groups' ability to maintain such a conflict and what might follow a potential takeover given their differing ideologies. The Ethiopian government had not publicly commented on the alliance's announcement at the time of reporting.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports mentioned the African Union's report that both the Ethiopian government and the TPLF have massed troops along the northern border. The right-rated report did not include commentary from Ethiopian academic Eyob Tilahun or details about the TPLF declaring the 2022 peace deal "effectively dead" in mid-July.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 21 Sept 2026, 02:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
3 rated outlets
- Al Jazeera and L'Orient-Le Jour reported that seven Ethiopian armed groups have formed an alliance to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. Both outlets noted the inclusion of the TPLF, Fano, and OLA, along with four smaller groups. Al Jazeera detailed the alliance's statement, which accused the government of imposing "dictatorial rule" and aiming to establish a transitional government guided by a charter to end wars and open national dialogue. Al Jazeera also included commentary from Ethiopian academic Eyob Tilahun, who suggested the allied forces believe they face a survival threat from the government, and mentioned that the TPLF had declared the 2022 peace deal "effectively dead" in mid-July.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
1 rated outlet
- Arab News reported that seven Ethiopian armed groups have formed an alliance against the federal government, citing an official from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The outlet stated that both the government and the TPLF have massed troops along the northern border, fuelling fears of a return to war, as reported by the African Union. Arab News quoted TPLF vice president Amanuel Assefa stating the alliance's objectives are to remove the regime and facilitate a transitional government. The report also included Kjetil Tronvoll's doubts about the alliance's ability to sustain a war against the government.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against PM Abiy Ahmed?
- Of the 4 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 75% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 25% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against PM Abiy Ahmed left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 4 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against PM Abiy Ahmed biased?
- Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against PM Abiy Ahmed is one event reported by 4 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Seven Ethiopian armed groups form alliance against PM Abiy Ahmed?
- 4 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Which groups have formed an alliance in Ethiopia?
- Seven Ethiopian armed groups have announced an alliance. These include the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara Fano National Movement, and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), along with four smaller groups: the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, the Benishangul Peoples’ Liberation Movement, and the Gumuz Peoples’ Democratic Movement.
- What is the stated goal of the new alliance?
- The alliance's stated goal is to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and establish an inclusive transitional government. The groups aim to remove the current regime and facilitate a new administration.
- What are the prospects for the alliance's military campaign?
- Kjetil Tronvoll, a regional specialist, has expressed doubt about the alliance's ability to sustain a prolonged war against the Ethiopian government. While acknowledging that coordinated action could present challenges for the government, he questioned the rebels' capacity to maintain such a conflict.
Read it at the source
4 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- Ethiopian armed groups forge alliance against government (opens Al Jazeera in a new tab)
Al Jazeera — is Al Jazeera biased? Our profile of this outlet
- News: Seven Ethiopian armed groups formally announce formation of a coalition (opens Addis Standard in a new tab)
Addis Standard — is Addis Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ethiopia's main armed groups announce alliance against government (opens L'Orient-Le Jour in a new tab)
L'Orient-Le Jour — is L'Orient-Le Jour biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
1Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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