Ethiopia: New armed alliance between Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) challenges Ethiopian Premier
Ethiopia’s dissident Tigray region agreed to ally with insurgents from the nation’s most populous ethnic group, potentially deepening a nine-month conflict raging in the country’s north.
The partnership between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army was agreed after talks over the past six weeks, OLA leader Kumsa Dirriba said by phone Wednesday. Getachew Reda, a senior member of the TPLF, confirmed the accord.
“There is an agreement on understanding each other to cooperate on a military alliance,” Kumsa, who is known by his nom de guerre Jaal Marroo, said.
The alliance risks escalating a conflict that erupted in November, when Abiy accused forces loyal to the TPLF, which dominated national politics for 27 years before being sidelined in 2018, of attacking a federal military base.