Various armed and opposition groups form an alliance

The agreement to be signed in Washington on Friday includes the Tigrayan forces, who fought the Ethiopian army and allied groups, as well as the Oromo Liberation Front, which is now fighting alongside the Tigrayan forces and seven other groups from across the country.

The coalition was formed as US special envoy Jeffrey Feltman arrived in the Ethiopian capital for a meeting with senior government officials amid calls for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the armed conflict that has killed thousands of people since November 2020.

The new United Front of the Ethiopian Federal Forces seeks to “establish a transitional agreement in Ethiopia” so that the prime minister can leave office as quickly as possible, Yohannes Abraha, part of the Tigray group, told the Associated Press.

He added, “The next step will, of course, be to start meetings and contacts with countries, diplomats and international personalities in and outside Ethiopia.”

He said that the new alliance is political and military. He added that he had not yet contacted the Ethiopian government.

Oromo Liberation Front spokesman Oda Tarabi confirmed the formation of the new alliance. When asked whether this means the forcible removal of Abiy from power, he replied that it depends on the Ethiopian government and the events of the next few weeks. “We would certainly prefer a peaceful and orderly transition with my father gone,” he said.

“The goal is to be as inclusive as possible. We know this transition requires all involved. As for members of the prime minister’s Prosperity Party, there has to be a process,” he added. Several members will have to be investigated and possibly prosecuted” for war-related crimes.