ETHIOPIAN militia groups announced today that they have formed an alliance with the aim of overthrowing the government in Addis Ababa and pushing for a transitional administration.

The Alliance for Survival brings together seven organisations: the Fano militia in Amhara, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and four smaller groupings based in the Ogaden, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz regions, meaning that militias from a half of Ethiopia’s 12 regional states are involved.

They accuse Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government of presiding over “war, genocide, mass destruction and utter poverty,” claiming that Ethiopia is at risk of disintegration.

Federal authorities did not immediately respond to the announcement, which came months after reports of an alliance between the TPLF and neighbouring Eritrea.

Mr Abiy responded then by saying he had faith in Ethiopia’s “defensive capabilities.”

He told legislators in July that, “even if others were added, we do not have an iota of fear regarding Ethiopia’s sovereignty.”

The country has faced years of armed conflict in its most populous states, Oromia and Amhara.

There have also been renewed tensions in the northern Tigray region, where a two-year civil war left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions.

An African Union peace deal ended that war in 2022, but there have been fears of a return to a full-scale conflict, with both sides accusing each other of violating that agreement.

Ethiopia held a general election in June, with Mr Abiy’s Prosperity Party retaining its overwhelming parliamentary majority, despite the poll being overshadowed by conflict, accusations of repression and little participation by opposition parties.

The result of the poll was rejected by the Fano and OLA militias.

The Tigray region and its six million inhabitants were completely excluded from the poll.