By late October 2021, negotiations had extended to several smaller rebel groups, of which many are widely known to be satellite organizations created and funded by the TPLF to create the impression that there exists shared grievance and thus widespread support among other ethnic groups for their insurgency.[2] On 5 November 2021, the alliance was announced to be composed of the following nine groups almost all of which appeared overnight following the beginning of the TPLF insurgency:[3]
The alliance was named the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces.[3]
On 31 January 2022 the ARDUF announced that it was distancing itself from the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces after accusing Tigrayan forces of killing civilians in the Afar region.[4]
On 19 October 2022, the BPLM signed a peace agreement with the regional government and left the coalition.[5]
During the Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement, the TPLF agreed to "Refrain from aiding and abetting, supporting, or collaborating with any armed or subversive group in any part of the country."[6]
On 22 December 2022, over 300 members of the Kimant Democratic Party were arrested by Amhara regional authorities after their leaders facilitated a talk with the government in which they discussed the peaceful surrender of the group and the participation of its members in the integration training provided by the government.[7]
Aims
The alliance stated that its aim was to "dismantle Abiy's government by force or by negotiations, and then form a transitional authority."[1]
Reactions
Gedion Timotheos, the Ethiopian Minister of Justice,[8] called the announcement of the nine-group alliance on 5 November 2021 a "publicity stunt" and claimed that some of the participating groups were "not really organisations that have any traction".[3]
