Ethiopia’s new rebel alliance faces an old problem

Writer and researcher based in Norway with a focus on the Horn of Africa. The formation of a new armed alliance seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed follows a pattern that has plagued Ethiopia – an empire of many nations and nationalities still in the making – for decades. Those in power leave little space for peaceful political struggle; the winner takes it all, so those who feel disadvantaged take up arms to change the status quo. Actors and alliances change over time, but violence remains the only constant. The civil war in parts of Oromia has raged since Abiy took power in 2018, while the conflict in the Amhara region has raged since 2023. In Tigray, the Pretoria agreement was never fully implemented.